


Reverse The Fallen Star

by heartsdesire456



Series: Reverse and Rebirth [1]
Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom
Genre: Acceptance, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Fluff, Guilt, Heavy Angst, Love, M/M, Mpreg, Past Character Death, Past Pregnancy Loss, Regret, Romance, Second Chances, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 10:17:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4915741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsdesire456/pseuds/heartsdesire456
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During their confrontation on the jet after breaking Erik out of the Pentagon, Charles disclosed a secret he'd been harboring for the past decade: He had been pregnant when he was shot on that beach in Cuba. When confronted with the loss Erik hadn't even known about and the guilt from that loss, Erik and Charles's fight quickly dissolved into shared grief at the possibilities they both lost ten years before. The night before the confrontation with Trask and Raven, before everything went wrong, Charles and Erik spent one night giving in to the feelings they still had for each other.</p><p>When Charles discovers he is once again pregnant, this time he has absolutely no intention of losing another child. </p><p>Nor does he intend to go through this alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reverse The Fallen Star

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this story got WAY out of hand!
> 
> Basically I had a really sad mpreg dream about the Cherik fight on the plane being about how Charles had been pregnant when Erik deflected the bullet into his spine and, rather than miscarry then and there, the pregnancy was able to progress much further than the doctors ever thought, only to lose the baby when a life-saving surgery causes him to go into labor far too early for the baby to survive. 
> 
> ... and I decided that, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T EVEN READ CHERIK (I ship the HELL out of it but had never read it before I started writing this and wanted to get a feel for it) I needed to write this fic and make it have a happy ending.
> 
> It really was NOT supposed to be this long. But... well Charles and Erik's love is just so easy to write!

Charles had always wondered what it would feel like, to be sitting across from Erik once more, after over a decade since he last saw him. He hadn’t expected the deep, intense _rage_ he’d felt the second he saw Erik, and more than that, the fact it hadn’t diminished since then. He could barely sit still his anger was burning inside of him. His teeth hurt he was grinding them so hard, trying not to scream out at the overwhelming desire to throttle the life out of Erik he felt. He could feel the bones in his hand grinding as he squeezed the armrest even tighter.

The stab of pain that lanced through the rage as Erik asked, “You sacrificed your powers so you could walk?” nearly undid him.

“I sacrificed my powers so that I could sle-“ he trailed off and swallowed before the tears could fill his eyes. He didn’t need his powers to remember what Hank had shown him before he first started taking the serum to at first give him the ability to walk with a cane and slightly dull his senses until eventually he could no longer even take that. Once the students were all gone, he had no reason to keep his gifts and deal with the constant agony of others on top of his own pain. “What would you know about it?”

“I’ve lost my fair share,” Erik replied, and a wave of sick humor swirled through Charles. Erik had the _gall_ to say that to him.

“Ah, dry your eyes, Erik. It doesn’t justify what you’ve done,” he replied calmly, though inside, he was dying to slap the ‘poor me’ look off of Erik’s face.

“You’ve no idea what I’ve done.”

Erik’s words brought that burning rage from a smolder to an inferno and Charles stared him down as he spoke, “I know you took the things that mean the most to me.”

“Well maybe you should have fought harder for them.”

Charles sprung from his seat, intent on strangling him once and for all. “You want a fight? Erik I will give you a fight!” he cried. He grabbed Erik by the shirt, shaking him. “YOU ABANDONED ME! You took her away and you abandoned me!”

Erik simply stared him down. “Angel. Azazel. Emma. Banshee. Mutant brothers and sisters all dead!” The plane around them began to shake and Charles felt a spike of fear as he was thrown to the side. “Countless others butchered! WHERE WERE YOU, CHARLES?! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM!” As Charles clung to the walls and couch to try and stay upright, Erik continued to shout. “Where were you when your own people needed you?! HIDING! You and Hank!”

As the plane’s violent shaking began to calm and up once again became up and down once again down, Charles slid to his feet, leveling Erik with an enraged glare. “You want to know where I was?” he asked, swallowing hard. “I was in a hospital. One YOU PUT ME IN!” he shouted, and Erik flinched, a flash of guilt crossing his face. Charles stalked up to him. “Do you know they could have saved my legs?” he asked, tilting his head. “If I had had surgery right away, they could have fixed my spine. I could have walked quite well. If I could have had that, I would have never ended up the drug-addicted mess I am now.” He smiled darkly, a tear breaking free of his lashes.

Erik shook his head, sadness in his eyes. “You know how guilty I am, Charles-“

“Your guilt means nothing,” Charles gritted out.

“It wasn’t even me! You know I would _never_ hurt you on purpose,” Erik argued. “If Moira-“

Charles shook his head. “No, if _you_ hadn’t refused to be the bigger man and thrown a FUCKING TANTRUM-“

Erik’s eyes darkened. “The humans have done nothing since then to make me regret my intent-“

“Fuck your intent,” Charles snarled, shoving him away. “You are the reason I am this way.” He grabbed his lapels and shoved him against the table behind him (in the back of his mind he was surprised Erik was letting him manhandle him). “You are the reason I have nothing left besides Hank and a fucking house.” He choked on the lump rising in his throat as he finally dropped his walls and let his pain come to the surface. “You took her away from me.”

“Charles, Raven made her own choice-“

“YOU KILLED HER!” Charles screamed in his face, shoving him back before wrenching himself away. He turned and grabbed onto the back of the seat beside him, fearing he would collapse if he did not. “You- you-“

Erik stood up, frowning. “What? If Raven was dead we would not be-“

“Not _Raven_ ,” Charles choked out, turning to him with tears streaking his face. “My _baby_.” He slid into the seat, collapsing in on himself. He looked up at Erik’s confused and concerned face.

“What-“

“I was _pregnant_ ,” Charles gritted out. “I was pregnant, Erik, and I didn’t know it until you got me shot and when they got me to a hospital the doctors discovered I was already three months along.”

Erik’s blood all drained from his face. “But- that would mean-“

Charles nodded with a bitter smile. “You got me pregnant. She was your daughter.”

Erik opened and closed his mouth a few times before he dropped into the seat behind him. “She?” he asked and Charles nodded, turning to look away from him. “Charles-“

“That’s why I didn’t have the surgery to save my legs,” Charles whispered. “It was too risky to have it while pregnant. I- I had lost everything else. I wanted her. I wanted a family again. I wanted someone to love. I had the boys, yes, but I had had Raven for my whole life, nearly. I wanted _family_ , not friends.”

Erik’s breathing was audible as he clearly tried to comprehend what Charles was saying. “What happened?”

Charles rolled his eyes, rolling his lips together as he looked towards the roof of the plane to avoid the urge to look at Erik. “I used my gifts to convince the doctors there was nothing odd at all about a pregnant man. A secondary mutation, no doubt, but as far as they were concerned it was a normal thing for a man to bear a child. I was in and out of the hospital several times as my spinal injury caused so much pain I could hardly bear it.” He sighed. “It was all for her. I wanted her so much to be safe-“ His breath hitched and he shook his head. “In the end there was an abscess that developed in my spinal cord. I was going to die if they did not operate. There was no choice in it. I would have died. It was no longer a matter of saving my legs, it was saving my life.” He smiled bitterly as he turned to meet Erik’s shell-shocked eyes. “Just as I had feared. The surgery was too much for my body to handle while pregnant. They had to take her while I was still unconscious, because she was dying in the womb. But it was too early.” Charles whimpered, rubbing at his eyes. “I was still unconscious for the next hour and she only survived twenty-six minutes.”

“Charles,” Erik whispered, and Charles looked up to see enough to know that, had he his gifts, he would be overwhelmed by the guilt pouring off of Erik. 

That thought pleased him.

Erik made a pained sound, reaching out to touch Charles’s hand. “Charles-“ Charles looked at him and Erik had tears in his eyes. “Charles, I- I cannot even-“

Charles smiled sadly, laying his other hand atop Erik’s, clasping it tightly. “I know, My Friend.” He sighed. “I do not need my gifts to know that- that you would never have harmed your own child-“

“I would not have left your side had I known,” Erik choked out. He slid off the seat to kneel in front of Charles. “Charles, I would have never left you alone- I would- I would have did everything I could-“ He shook his head, a tear breaking free. “ _Charles_ ”

Charles didn’t want to release the last of his rage and resentment, but when Erik dropped his head to Charles’s lap, clinging to him as he babbled on about how sorry he was and how wrong he had been and how much he had missed Charles, the one stubborn feeling he had never been able to fully quash when it came to Erik fought to emerge from where he had locked it away deep inside. Charles just closed his eyes and laid his hand on the back of Erik’s head, threading his fingers into his hair as Erik prostrated himself before Charles.

~

When they arrived in Paris very late, they booked into a hotel. Charles knew what was going to happen, after their long talk on the flight after everybody had calmed down, when he and Erik took one room and left Hank and Logan to the other. What he had expected was for Erik to shove him against the door the minute it shut, but Erik was oddly quiet as he checked the windows and phone around the room. Charles ignored his guilty disappointment and went to take a shower while Erik continued to look for vulnerable points in the room.

Finally finding some privacy for the first time all day, Charles was unable to refrain from thinking about exactly how heavy the day had been. Between seeing Erik again, fighting with Erik again, having to think about his lost child, and all of it while under the overwhelming pressure to save the world and find his sister in the process, Charles was not surprised when the adrenaline crash finally hit him and he started to shake in spite of the warm water. He put his face in his hands and leaned back against the tiles, only to let out a broken sob as he let his head thump back. 

He just wanted to find Raven. For all that he had suffered, for all he had lost, he just wanted his sister back. He knew she might not be easy to persuade to come home, but to see her and know she was safe would be enough. He just wanted his oldest friend and companion to come back to him. He lost so much a decade ago. He just wanted something back. Nothing could give him a child again. Nothing could give him back the family he had when all the boys were with him and the school he was building. But he could have contact with Raven once more. There had to be hope in something.

“Please don’t cry.” Charles wasn’t even startled when Erik spoke just as he climbed into the shower with Charles. He had expected something like that to happen once Erik’s paranoia about the room ended. Charles opened his eyes, head resting lazily against the shower wall, simply looking at Erik as he pulled the curtain back shut behind him. Erik stepped closer, cupping Charles’s face in his hands. “Charles.”

Charles looked up into Erik’s eyes, searching them for something, anything to tell him why they were doing this to each other. He smiled tiredly. “I’ve still never seen anyone with eyes as grey as yours,” he said softly. “There’s no blue in there, no green, just grey.”

Erik gave a small smirk, brushing his thumb along Charles’s cheekbone. “And you still have the bluest.” He pressed a kiss to Charles’s forehead, earning a sigh as Charles leaned into him. “If you want me to go, just say it and I will leave you alone.”

Charles let out a strained laugh, flattening his hands to Erik’s middle. “Don’t you dare,” he said, turning his face upwards where he was immediately met with a slow, searing kiss.

Charles gave in to the most readily available form of distraction he had. He had been enamored by Erik’s beautiful powers and his handsome face the moment he saved him from drowning. It had only taken weeks before they had begun a sexual relationship after they met. One of the perks of knowing what others were thinking was the ability to know when attraction was returned. No matter how heavy things got, Erik and he always found a way to distract each other the best way they knew how.

What began in the shower that night continued into the bed, and what started as slow, smoldering distraction ended up being something of a desperate emotional release for them both. Charles couldn’t help the sounds he made as Erik took him apart with every thrust, every kiss, every touch. His nails scored evidence of his ecstasy into Erik’s skin the same way Erik’s teeth marked his shoulders and throat much the same way. Charles didn’t realize he was crying again until Erik stopped and propped on his elbow, stroking Charles’s hair out of his eyes. 

“Are you alright?” he panted, looking worried, but Charles just shook his head.

“Don’t stop,” he pleaded, reaching up to drag Erik into a kiss by his hair. “Please, I need this. I need you. Erik,” he breathed, and Erik groaned as he resumed once again. “ _Erik_!” he moaned, tipping his head back, and Erik kissed him roughly once more.

“I know,” he breathed, curling one hand around Charles’s thigh, fingertip digging into his skin. “I’ve missed you so much,” Erik confessed, eyes locked with Charles’s. “Charles, you have to know.” 

Charles whimpered, half from pleasure and half knowing what Erik meant. “Erik, _please_.”

Erik groaned, eyes falling shut as he caressed Charles’s flank, up his hip, to splay across his side “I never stopped. Not ever.” He pressed a kiss to Charles’s lips, desperate and off-target. “Eleven years and not a single day passed I didn’t think of you.”

“Nor I,” Charles choked out, emotions bubbling as his pleasure mounted. “Every part of me. Every single bit.”

“ _Charles_ ,” Erik moaned, and Charles cried out as Erik biting down on his shoulder spurred him over the edge. Erik followed momentarily, jarring Charles’s oversensitive body in ways that made the pleasure almost too close to pain as his skin hummed after his release.

Sex without his powers was different. It was so much more physical, yet somehow, it wasn’t entirely. He didn’t need to be inside Erik’s head to understand his thoughts and feelings. Erik was so familiar to him, even after so many years, that he instinctively knew exactly how to hold Erik as they caught their breath to comfort him the most. Both of them were wrung out, more than just physically, and he needed to be strong for Erik as he clung to Charles and trembled as the rush of pleasure he had felt was followed by a whole slew of emotions. Charles just held him and stroked his hair.

It was only a while later, after they had cleaned up and were curled together, trying to find sleep before the big day ahead of them, that Erik pressed his lips beneath Charles’s ear, body conformed to the shape of Charles’s back to hold him as close as possible, that he actually said the word they both had avoided all evening. “How is it that, lying here with you in my arms, I could close my eyes and imagine it has not been eleven years since I last made love to you and whispered my love in your ear?”

Charles hummed softly, lacing his fingers through Erik’s on his middle. “In all my life, I have never been with anyone I would do the same with apart from you, Erik.” He sighed as Erik tucked his chin into the curve of Charles’s neck. “I have never loved another. I am not sure I ever will.” He laughed weakly. “It would seem I am doomed to love the only person I cannot keep.”

Erik smiled quietly for a moment. His face fell some as his fingers found the scar low on Charles’s abdomen, long since faded, but still present nonetheless. Charles’s heart clenched as he curled his hand around Erik’s drawing it up to his mouth to kiss his palm.

Charles sighed. “I want you to remember something, My Friend.” Erik waited and Charles smiled sadly. “Whatever happens, tomorrow or later on, know that I will always love you, Erik.”

Erik laughed weakly. “Even when you hold hatred for another decade?” he teased and Charles grinned.

“Hatred is not the opposite of love, Darling. Love and hate are very similar emotions. Indifference is the one you must fear,” he corrected.

“Then we are both in luck,” Erik replied. “I’m fairly certain neither of us will ever be indifferent to one another.” He shifted, pulling Charles into his arms once more, preparing to sleep. 

~

Charles was not at all surprised when everything went to shit and Erik disappeared once more.

However, when Charles began feeling ill without cause, after two weeks of vomiting several time a day, he had a horrible feeling.

~

Hank was able to confirm what Charles had feared: he was once again pregnant. Hank sat beside Charles, rubbing his back as he processed the information. “I’m going to assume you and Erik didn’t fight more that night in Paris, did you?” Hank asked and Charles laughed almost hysterically.

“No, no we did not.” 

Hank was sitting quietly and thinking when Charles caught a stray thought. “ _What on earth is Charles going to do now?_ ”

Charles huffed. “We are going to fire up Cerebro,” he answered out loud.

Hank startled some. “Cerebro?”

“Erik Lehnsherr will not leave me alone in this situation this time,” Charles grumbled, turning his chair to head for the door. “That is for damn sure.”

~

The last thing Charles expected when looking for Erik, was to find Raven together with Alex and a mutant child. When he sent Hank to find them, he was fairly sure he couldn’t tempt Raven to return to him, but much to his surprise and delight, Hank returned with not just Alex and the boy (revealed to be Alex’s younger brother) but Raven as well.

Charles wanted nothing more than to hug the life out of Raven, but immediately Alex approached him with his hands on the shoulder of the boy at his side. “Well, who is this then?” Charles asked, looking at the boy to wait for him to answer rather than take a reading from him.

However, the boy did not speak. Nor did he open his eyes, Charles noticed. Alex gave Charles a pleading look. “This is Scott. He- we need your help,” he said, almost desperate in tone.

Charles nodded. “Hank? Will you take Scott here and get him something to eat?” he asked, and Hank smiled as he put a hand on the boys shoulder to guide him along.

“Don’t worry, Scott. I make the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich you’ll ever have,” Hank said as he took the boy off towards the kitchen.

Alex only waited until he was gone to release a breath. “He manifested while I was gone, I didn’t even know he’s like me, and they put him in an institution.”

Charles frowned. “Like you? The same powers?”

“Almost,” he said. “He can’t make it stop. Any time he opens his eyes, the same energy as I have shoots out of them.” Alex winced, ducking his head. “He hasn’t opened his eyes in three years.”

Charles’s heart sank. “Oh. Poor child.”

Raven nodded. “Alex found me. After he saw me on TV he tracked me down to help him rescue Scott. We- we didn’t know if you would even be here or maybe I-“ She bit her lip. “ _Charles_.” She rushed forward and leaned down to hug him. “I’m sorry.”

Charles chuckled. “It’s alright. I wouldn’t have much faith in me either after the last several years.”

Raven looked down at him uneasily. “I almost thought you would give up your powers again. After… well. It can’t be much easier.”

Charles bit his lip. “Alex… will you excuse Raven and I?” he asked, and Alex nodded, going off in the direction Hank had taken his brother. “We should talk,” he said to Raven, turning to go to his office. Raven followed and when they got inside, she went to sit beside the fireplace, giving him a long look as he stopped in front of her.

“Charles, are you alright? You don’t look well,” she said, and he chuckled, shaking his head.

“Actually, I’m probably about another twenty minutes from vomiting for the sixth time today, so I’d be shocked if I did look well,” he said.

Raven sat up immediately. “What? Are you sick? Oh God, is that why you were looking-“

“No,” he said softly. He laced his fingers together in his lap. “I-“ He chuckled at how ridiculous it all was. “Well, it’s morning sickness, Raven.”

“ _Morning sickness_?” she asked, eyes flying wide. “What- how-“

“And I’m in my third month now, so the morning sickness will end shortly, thank god.” She blinked and opened and closed her mouth a few times and Charles smiled. “I have a secondary mutation,” Charles explained. “I discovered this eleven years ago.”

Raven settled back in her seat heavily. “You know when the morning sickness will end because- because it’s not the first time, is it?” she asked hollowly. Charles shook his head. She gave him a pain-filled look. “You don’t have a child. And eleven years is when… when you got shot.”

He nodded stiffly. “Both of those are correct.”

She looked at him with understanding dawning slowly. “Both eleven years ago and three months ago you were working with Erik,” she said and Charles looked away. She let out a soft snort. “Really? Erik? Especially this time, what the hell, Charles?”

He looked down. “We disagree on a great many things, Raven, but above all else he is my friend. He will always be my friend. Even when I hate him, I still-“ He shook his head. “I still love him.”

She pulled her legs up into the seat, curling them under her. “Okay.” She nodded again. “Okay so what are you going to do?”

Charles huffed. “Find the bastard for one thing. I’m not letting him get out of this. I am not doing this alone.”

Raven chuckled. “It’s no fun, that’s for sure,” she said, and Charles’s head snapped up. She stilled, looking away and his breath caught.

“Raven?”

She looked up with a sad smile. “I didn’t find out until after Azazel had been killed by Trask.”

Charles let out a shocked sound. “And you didn’t come home? You didn’t think to come to me-“

“I didn’t want anything to do with you,” she said harshly. “Charles, I was still so angry.” She sighed. “I was desperate so I went to a convent. Even after they found out I was a mutant, the nuns didn’t seem to think differently of me.” She shrugged. “I had no way to take care of a kid. I didn’t know anything about being a mother or have anywhere to go. There was nowhere safe for him anyways.” She smiled sadly. “Blue like me.” 

“Him?” Charles asked, and she nodded.

“Kurt. I left him with the nuns. They were happy to raise him. And it was what was best.”

Charles gave her a look. “I- I could find him. If you wanted.”

She shook her head, swallowing hard as she blinked some. “No. That’s his home. He’d be five now. No reason to take him from a safe home.” 

Charles reached out and took her hand, smiling as he squeezed it. “I am happy to see you here, Raven.”

She sighed and leaned out of her chair to hug Charles, laying her head on his shoulder. “I don’t know if I’ll stay.”

“And I won’t try to stop you,” Charles promised. “I’ll try my best to convince you to stay here cause my baby will need his or her auntie Raven, but I would never force you to stay.”

She laughed as she pulled away. “Well, between Scott and you pregnant, I figure Alex and Hank could use a hand for a little while.” She groaned. “It’s so strange. You’re _pregnant_ , Charles.”

He chuckled. “Yes, I am aware.” He grimaced. “Also, remember how I mentioned the whole ‘morning sickness’ thing? You’ll have to excuse me,” he said, and Raven made a dramatic face as he quickly wheeled himself out of the office.

~

When Charles located Erik, he did not bother sending someone to find him. He simply inhabited a person near him through the use of Cerebro and had them write on the back of their coffee receipt and drop it in his lap on their way past.

_If you do not return to Westchester now, I will break my promise to stay out of your mind and make you walk the whole way to New York you bastard._

_Love always, Charles_

_PS. Do not test me, Erik_

~

Charles didn’t actually expect it to be that simple, especially since he’d made the threat whilst suffering the worst day of ‘morning’ sickness he had ever experienced. Charles was pretty sure death was preferable to constant nausea that never went away. It made him more than a bit upset with Erik for doing this to him, though he knew deep down it was not fair to say that.

However, a week later, he sensed Erik coming up the drive just as he and Hank explained their idea for creating goggles that might make it so that Scott could see out without his energy beams destroying the room. He stopped speaking for a moment before clearing his throat and continuing. He had time before Erik arrived at the house to finish explaining their idea at least. 

When he could feel that Erik was at the door, he interrupted Alex’s question. “I’m so sorry but Raven and I will leave you two to finish hear.” He turned to Raven. “I believe our guest has arrived.”

Raven grinned evilly. “Oh this is gonna be good,” she said as she fell into step beside Charles on their way out of the room.

When they arrived downstairs, Erik had let himself in and was waiting. “Ah, I see you could feel me checking on how close to the house you were,” Charles said as they approached.

Erik turned, looking him over. “What did you need so badly you threatened to control me and make me walk halfway across the country, then?” he demanded, clearly annoyed but slightly amused.

Charles gave him a disgruntled look. “If I could reach, I’d smack that look off your face, Lehnsherr.”

Raven looked near giddy when she raised a hand. “I’ll do it for you!” she volunteered. 

Erik huffed. “Raven. Did not expect to see you here. Thought you and brother dearest had some issues still?”

“Yes, well, unlike you, I know I can still trust Charles, no matter whether he approves or not,” Raven fired back. “Charles isn’t the only one you’ve abandoned and left for dead. Also, he’s never tried to _kill me_ ,” she added angrily. She looked at Charles. “Please tell me you two screwed _before_ he tried to kill me.”

“Oh of course,” Charles said quickly. 

Erik gave Raven a surprised look. “You know about… erm-“

Charles decided to get straight to it. “Well it became quite clear to her when she discovered I’m pregnant,” he said bluntly.

Erik’s eyes snapped to his, jaw dropping. “What-“

“Oh yes,” Charles said with a mocking smile. “Nearly four months. You can do the math yourself. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go vomit _again_ , and you and Raven can go have a lovely conversation with Hank until I can join you and continue this talk.”

Charles left a gob smacked Erik behind as he went to once again be sick.

~

Alex hadn’t known Charles was pregnant, so when Charles rejoined the other three in Hank’s lab, Alex’s first words were. “You can get _pregnant_?!”

Charles laughed, nodding. “Secondary mutation, it would seem.”

Alex made a disturbed face. “And you did it with _him_?” he asked, gesturing to Erik. “I mean, Banshee always said you were totally into men, too, and we all had bets on it but… _him_?” he asked, looking at Erik distrustfully.

“Charles, how did this happen?” Erik asked, and Charles gave him an unamused look.

“Oh really? Seriously? Do I honestly need to remind you how human reproduction occurs-“

Erik grumbled. “It was only one time!”

Hank rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and once is all it takes, Erik, come on. You’re an adult.”

Charles hummed, giving Erik an annoyed look. “Also I’m pretty sure you’re the most fertile man alive. You probably have eighty children out there in the world. You should check to make sure every sexual partner you ever had isn’t pregnant,” he sniped and Erik gave him a look.

“Oh? And how do you know you’re not the extremely fertile one? You’re the one with a mutation to allow it-“

“Ha!” Charles gritted his teeth. “You know how many men fucked me in the last ten years, Erik? None of them got me pregnant-“

“Ew, I don’t wanna hear this,” Raven complained.

“I’m the biggest whore of us all-“

“Now that is true,” Raven confirmed and Alex gave her an uncomfortable look.

“And only _you_ have ever knocked me up,” Charles finished. 

Erik’s jaw clenched visibly and he glanced at the others then back to Charles. “Could we possibly have this conversation in private?”

“I suppose so,” Charles said. “I figured you would want Hank to prove my claims.”

Erik gave him a genuine hurt look. “You think I wouldn’t trust you?”

Charles gave him a sad smile. “You do not trust me on many things, My Friend.”

“I trust you on this,” Erik said with a meaningful look in his eyes. “I know you would not lie about this.”

Charles nodded. “Alright. Then we can talk in private instead.”

~

Charles turned and opened his mouth to ask Erik to shut the door to his office, only to see Erik wave his hand and do so without being asked. Charles felt a warmth he could not fight when Erik moved to sit across from him. No matter what, Erik’s gift was so beautiful to Charles. “Are you well?” Erik asked Charles worriedly, eyebrows furrowed.

Charles smiled more gently. “Yes, Erik. I’m fine.” He chuckled. “I hate you most when I’m vomiting, but that is simply a part of pregnancy.”

Erik glanced down at his belly, mostly still flat, so it was unnoticeable while he was seated, then looked back to Charles’s eyes. “Charles,” he said softly. “I- I never dreamed-“

“Nor I,” Charles said, unable to keep the amusement out of his tone. “But I am.” Charles looked down at his own middle, putting a hand against his belly. “I called you here because you deserve to know. And because-“ He stopped, looking up at Erik. “Because I wanted to know if you want to be part of its life.”

Erik sucked in a breath. “You will allow it?”

Charles’s heart broke a bit at that. “Oh Erik, of course. You and I… we want the same thing ultimately. I may never see eye to eye with you on your methods, but we both want a world that’s safe for all mutants. And now, a world that is safe for this child.” He chuckled. “I would not keep this baby from you, Erik.”

“Then of course,” Erik said quickly. “Of course I want to be its father. I could not force you to do this alone, Charles. Not ever. I told you. I told you that if I knew I would never leave your side.”

Charles gave him a grateful smile. “That’s wonderful, Erik.” Erik reached out to take his hand but Charles raised a hand to stop him. “Erik wait.” Erik stopped and Charles squared his shoulders. “Erik, if you are going to stay, there have to be sacrifices,” he said slowly. He shook his head. “I know what you have done since Washington. I remember what you did there as well.” He looked Erik in the eyes. “I will not force you to pretend you suddenly believe what I do, but I will not allow you to continue your violence and stay here as well. I won’t let you bring the retaliation against your hatred of the humans to my doorstep.” Charles pointed to the floor. “This is my house. My home. This is where I am currently housing a mutant child in need to refuge. I am pregnant and this time I will not let anything harm this baby. Your actions bring consequences and I will _not_ suffer them again. The last time I was pregnant, your hatred resulted in losing my legs and the death of our baby, Erik,” he said coldly and Erik actually flinched. “If you want to stay here, you will stop. I can accept we have different beliefs. I cannot accept you bringing danger to my baby.”

“Charles, I can’t just stop,” Erik pleaded. “I have responsibilities. There are- I’ve found others. There are more people who believe what I do and we have a plan of battle-“

“Your followers are not my concern,” Charles interrupted. “Just a few years ago now another cult leader and his followers made the news, in case you missed it, and let’s just say it did not end well for him.” Erik rolled his eyes and Charles glared. “Erik, the choice is between your cause or your child,” he said tightly. “It’s your choice.”

Erik sighed. “Charles, of course it’s our child.” He rubbed at his forehead. “Alright. I need to go back first. I need to let my men know I’m no longer taking part in their crusade. I- I will make something up about the reason, but…” He looked up at Charles. “One day, I will return to my fight, Charles. I cannot see a future safe for our child when you continue to naively think the humans may one day accept us. One day I will do what I have to do make this world safe for our child.”

Charles raised an eyebrow. “Oh yes? And what if our baby is human, Erik? What then?” he asked evenly. “It’s very much possible. Will your hatred for humans extend to your own child?” Erik’s eyes widened, but he did not speak. Charles gave him a polite nod. “Do what you have to, Erik. But if you come back, come back prepared to sacrifice your fighting for the chance to be a father.”

He didn’t bother saying anything else as he left to go, once again, go be sick.

~

Erik was gone for a few weeks, which left Charles worried he had actually left for real, but he did return. Charles waited until he had finished settling into his old bedroom before he went to see him. He knocked and the door swung open on its own, revealing the rather amusing sight of Erik fighting with the dresser drawer that was jammed. “Am I disturbing you?”

Erik straightened up, turning to Charles with his hands on his hips, though his eyes stayed on the dresser. “This damn dresser is made of wood and glue, not nails, and the handle is plastic,” he bickered. “I can’t open the damn drawer.”

Charles laughed softly. “I’ll have one of the stronger two come open it for you. Hank is impressively strong.”

Erik sighed rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “Wonderful.” He looked up only to start some, eyes widening as he looked at Charles. “Hello, Charles. You look…” _Like shit_. “Well,” he finished.

Charles huffed. “I heard that,” he said and Erik had the good sense to look very sheepish. Charles was well aware of the fact he was pale, gaunt, and grungy looking. He couldn’t sleep well, he couldn’t stop puking, and he was so tired all the time. He started to speak only to have his eyes widen as a sudden wave of nausea came over him and he slapped a hand over his mouth.

Erik panicked for a moment before sending the metal wastebasket in the corner flying over to Charles, who caught it and promptly buried his head in it. He could only imagine how loud and gruesome the sound of him heaving was whilst echoing. “Charles… are you alright?” Erik asked gently as he came closer.

Charles moaned horribly, that sound echoing in the bucket as well. “I hate you so much.”

“Do you need me to call someone?” Erik asked uneasily as Charles heaved again. “Charles, you do not seem well-“

“I’m bloody pregnant!” Charles snapped, voice echoing from within the wastebasket. “Of course I’m not well! Last time I was on too many drugs in hospital to suffer as much.” He spat, feeling another wave of nausea coming. “And I can’t even drink myself into a stupor because they realized it’ll mess with fetal development and I’m _fucking preg_ \- Huuur!”

Erik flinched back as Charles gagged once more. “I’m going to go get Hank,” he said, quickly retreating from the room.

~

Charles still had a few weeks of horrendous nausea that never faded and every single day the miserable part of his brain took over the rational side and he blamed Erik. 

For everything.

One morning it was:

_“Charles,” Erik greeted as he rolled into the kitchen in the morning. “You look a bit tired-“ SMACK!_

_Hank gaped at his own hand after it collided with the side of Erik’s face. “I- I- I-“_

_Erik stared in shock and then turned to Charles, who looked begrudgingly guilty. “I’m very sorry for controlling you, Hank. I promise not to do it again,” he muttered and Erik gave him a disbelieving look. “What?” Charles asked, eyebrow cocked. “You said I look like shit! You had that coming and I can’t reach you-“_

_“Charles, I just said you look tired. I was going to suggest you take a nap,” Erik said sincerely and Charles huffed._

_“Yeah right, a nap, so I can asphyxiate on my own vomit when I roll onto my back. Thanks,” he said bitterly._

Another afternoon it was:

_Charles rolled into the library, a pissed off look on his face, as he went straight to the nearest shelf, looked through the books for a bit before seeming to spot the one he wanted. He turned and rolled right up to where Erik sat across from Alex, the both of them sharing sections of the newspaper, and drew back and smacked Erik as hard as he could around the shoulder with the book, making him cry out and jerk away._

_“What on earth has gotten into you?!” Erik demanded, tumbling backwards out of his chair as he jerked away from the repeated smacks. “Charles!”_

_“Nine goddamn men fucked me between Cuba and Paris and your mutant fucking sperm got me pregnant you massive twat!” he growled between smacks to the chair to knock it into Erik’s shin after he stood, making him hop around, clutching his leg._

_“Charles, that hurt-“_

_“EVERY SINGLE BIT OF MY BODY HURTS!” Charles shouted at him. “I’m almost glad you got me fucking paralyzed from the thighs down because at least something doesn’t hurt!” he shouted, then threw the book at him, Erik letting out a soft ‘grunt’ as it glanced off his side. “Hank said the reason the first trimester is so shitty for me is because I’m a fucking man and I’m fucking pregnant and your fucking penis is a goddamn weapon of mass destruction!” he shouted._

_Alex snickered and opened his mouth and Charles turned to him with a glare unlike anything either of them had ever seen before. “If you make that joke I swear to everything I will make you strangle yourself to death with my fucking mind-“_

_“Charles, should you really be swearing so much? You don’t usually swear,” Erik interrupted and Charles turned back to him with an incredulous look. Erik winced, backing up slightly. “I apologize for my penis,” he said mockingly. “In its defense, you’re very beautiful and it remembered the last time-“_

_“I hate you so damn much,” Charles grinded out as he turned to wheel out of the room, seething over the laughter he heard from Alex as he retreated._

It all became far less comical right in the end, though:

_Charles knelt in front of the toilet, chair abandoned off beside the shower, crying as he lay his head on his crossed arms in front of the bowl. He just wanted one day of peace. He wanted to not feel sick, he wanted to be able to eat, he wanted to be able to sleep._

_“Charles? Charles are you alright?” Erik’s voice sounded from the other side of the door. “Charles… are you crying?” Erik unlocked the door with his powers, Charles privacy be damned, and opened it. “Charles?!”_

_Charles gritted his teeth and turned to Erik with fire in his eyes. “Did I say you could come in?!” he shouted. He tried to stay firm and angry but shouting only hurt his throat, making him cough weakly and whimper, laying his head on the toilet. “Erik,_ please _.”_

_Erik knelt beside him. “Charles, what’s wrong? Is it anything I can help with?” he asked, reaching out to push Charles’s sweaty hair from his eyes. “You really don’t look alright, Charles. You’re clammy.”_

_Charles let out a weak sob. “I just want to eat a meal, get a night’s sleep, and not feel like I’m dying.” He reached out with a shaky hand to grasp Erik’s trouser leg. “I just want it to stop. I love this baby so much, but being shot was preferable to this,” he whimpered. “It’s just so horrible, Erik.”_

_Erik pulled his weak grip from his trouser leg and felt of Charles’s weak, rapid pulse. He reached out and put his hand on Charles’s forehead and looked him in the eyes. “Alright.” He seemed to have made a decision, because he stood up and in one swoop, lifted Charles up, holding him under his back and knees._

_“Erik, no, I’m going to puke on you,” Charles tried weakly, but Erik just shushed him._

_“Go for it. I’ve got other clothes, Charles.” He looked at his pale skin and weak eyes and Charles could hear his thoughts bleeding out when he thought, _I don’t have another you_._

_Erik carried him downstairs to find Hank, who immediately took a look at him and directed Erik to take him straight to one of the empty beds downstairs before joining them to set up a fluid IV and mild sedative for Charles as well as equipment to monitor his dehydration that had only been exacerbated by the exhaustion of being unable to sleep._

_Erik sat and slept in the armchair in the corner of the dusty bedroom all afternoon and night, carefully watching over Charles as he rested._

Easy to say, once the morning sickness abruptly lessened and then quit, all within a matter of three days, Charles was so relieved he ate a full breakfast and then napped the morning away.

~

Charles felt rather guilty for how horrible he had been to Erik for a few weeks there, so he was more than a little surprised when, about a week after all his suffering had ended, a week full of resting and recovering, Erik actually walked into the room and stopped so abruptly Raven ran into his back. “Erik?! What the hell?” she demanded, walking round him, but Erik did not seem to even notice.

He simply stared at Charles with a look that suggested he wasn’t capable of breathing. “Erik?” Charles asked curiously and Erik finally gave him an almost _bashful_ smile, shockingly enough. “What?” he asked, brow furrowed.

“You’re beautiful,” Erik admitted freely, almost as if too entranced to filter himself.

Raven gave Erik a very unsettled look, but Charles simply blushed as he saw himself through Erik’s eyes when Erik projected it to him purposefully. Charles thought he was mad, but he had to admit, the way the sunlight was coming from the window and highlighting Charles’s eyes and softening his edges, it was a good look for him. “You’re too generous, My Friend,” he replied with a small smile but Erik just shook his head, walking closer.

“You’re also showing,” he said, looking down at the small bump that was now becoming visible beneath Charles’s soft jumper. Erik settled across from him, letting out a breath quickly. “You’re- it’s magnificent. You are…” Erik shook his head, letting out a soft chuckle as a small, reverent smile graced his lips. “You’re the best thing I’ve ever seen,” he finished simply.

Charles blushed outright and tutted. “Oh, get off.”

Erik’s lingering glances for the rest of the afternoon informed him he had no intention of changing his mind whatsoever.

~

Charles cursed under his breath once more as he reached further along the counter to try and grab the sugar canister, but it was just beyond his fingertips. “Damn. Sugar. You- Oh!” He blinked as it slid to the edge of the counter, then turned to see Erik coming in the door. “Oh, thank you,” he said with a smile as he took the canister, set it in his lap, and wheeled himself back over to the table.

“Why haven’t you moved everything within your reach in here?” Erik asked curiously as he went to start making coffee.

Charles gave a soft ‘harumph’ as he opened the canister and grabbed his spoon. “If you haven’t noticed, I used to could get closer to the counter so I could reach further,” he said, and Erik turned to give his belly a quick glance, an almost sweet smile curling his lips. Charles chortled at Erik’s silence. “Yes, another thing to blame you for, then,” he joked.

Erik came to the table with his coffee and sat down to Charles’s right. “Admit it, you’re as pleased as I am,” he said and a brilliant smile bloomed across Charles’s face.

“Of course I am,” Charles muttered, reaching a hand down to rest on his belly while stirring with the other hand. “I adore this baby already,” he commented smiling down at the visible bump. “Especially now that it’s no longer got me so ill I can’t even function,” he joked as he looked up, only to bite his lip when he saw the look in Erik’s eyes as he, too, eyed his belly. “Come here.”

Erik’s eyes darted up and he blinked. “What?”

Charles gestured at him to come closer. “Come,” he said, and when Erik scooted his chair closer, Charles grabbed his wrist and pulled until he leaned over the table. He settled Erik’s palm on his belly. He looked up and smiled widely at the reverent look on Erik’s face as he gently molded his hand to the curve of Charles’s belly. Erik let out a breath as he gently moved his fingertips, feeling the shape of his belly. Charles grinned. “Your child, Erik,” he said softly.

Erik’s eyes flickered up to meet his, and Charles wasn’t that surprised to see them a bit misty. “Oh, Charles.” The smile that spread across his face was possibly the brightest Charles had ever seen. “This is all really happening, isn’t it?”

Charles nodded, unable to stop answering his happiness. “Yes, My Friend. It really is.” Erik held his gaze, and Charles didn’t need his gifts to read everything Erik was thinking. He leaned forward some, almost hoping, even though he shouldn’t. Erik’s eyes flickered down to Charles’s lips and Charles watched him lick his own. 

Erik swallowed. “Charles,” he breached as he raised his other hand, starting to reach up to cup Charles’s face, only to have their moment be interrupted by the door opening.

“Good morning- Ew, are you two making out?” Raven said loudly, startling them apart. 

Erik nearly slid out of his seat when he flailed, only to clear his throat and move back to his seat, moving away from Charles. Charles gave Raven an annoyed look and she mouthed ‘what?!’ at him. “Good morning, Raven.”

She winked at him. “This is what got you like this in the first place, Charles.”

Charles scoffed. “Says the woman who used to help me sneak men back to our apartment,” he accused and she shrugged.

“Yeah, but humans never knocked you up,” she teased, winking. “I knew one day being easy would get you in trouble. I just figured you’d get the clap,” she said absently as she fixed herself coffee. She patted Erik on the back when she came to sit. “Erik, here, though.” She smirked as she sat down. “I’m more surprised he knew what to do,” she said with a wink.”

Erik rolled his eyes at her. “Just because I wouldn’t sleep with you-“

“Or anybody else,” she teased, winking. “All the places we went, all the mutants we met up with, all the fun the rest of us had before you took off for Texas, not a single person. Emma actually suggested you were a monk or something.”

Charles gave her a stern look. “Raven, leave him alone.” He gave Erik a small smile. “Erik is just a less outgoing person than you or I. And there’s nothing wrong with being withdrawn. This is probably the only point in Erik’s life he’s stuck sitting around not working on anything. You and I had a very privileged young adulthood,” he reminded her.

“Also you may have noticed I lack the outgoing, personable nature your brother possesses,” Erik muttered.

She snorted. “That’s for damn sure. Charles looks like an angel when he smiles. You look like a tiger about to eat someone.”

“Your brother clearly doesn’t mind my smile,” Erik said with a smirk, and Raven mimed gagging.

“I still cannot believe Charles slept with you,” she said bluntly. “Charles are you _sure_ he’s the father?” she asked.

Charles rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. Also, I rather like Erik’s smile. I like the lines around his eyes when he smiles.”

Erik gave him an annoyed look. “Yes, because unlike you two, I do age,” he said, looking at Charles’s face. “Are you sure Raven is the only one with extremely slow aging?” he asked.

Charles gave him a smile. “You’re just being kind now. A decade spent drugged out of my mind didn’t do my face any favors.”

Raven shrugged. “Well you’re getting kinda fat now, it makes your wrinkles flatten out,” she said bluntly.

“I am not _getting fat_!” Charles argued. Raven snickered and he pouted. “I’m not.”

“Of course not,” Erik comforted, though Charles could see his smirk into his coffee cup and he huffed.

~

Charles struggled to button his shirt over his belly, glaring when every button he buttoned popped free the moment he was done. “You little-“ He growled as another button popped free and he flopped backwards across the bed. “Wanker.”

“What on earth have I done to warrant that?” Charles looked over towards the door and smiled wearily as Erik walked in. Erik looked at his current position and raised an eyebrow. “Are you alright?”

Charles chuckled, rubbing at the apex of his belly, where his shirt would not stay buttoned. “I fear I’m at the point where my shirts no longer button. I’m going to have to resort to jumpers even though it’s still far too warm for them. Bollocks.”

Erik gave him an amused look and walked over. “I could just lend you some of my shirts until it’s a bit cooler. By the time they’re too small, it will be cool enough for you to wear jumpers.”

Charles sat up, looking at him flatly. “Have you seen your waist, Erik? I’m not sure I could fit into your shirts before I was pregnant,” he argued.

Erik tutted, heading back out the door. “You’re narrower in the shoulder than I am. It makes the difference all the way down.”

When Erik returned and gave Charles a shirt to try on before leaving, Charles buttoned the white shirt and glared when it not only fit over his belly but was _absolutely massive_. When he got downstairs and Erik looked up at him with a smile, Charles huffed. “Exactly how small _am_ I?!” he demanded as he rolled over to where someone had already set out a cup of tea and a plate of food for him. 

Hank looked him over. “Well… you’re just really petite.”

Raven scoffed, rolling her yellow eyes. “Charles, I’m bigger than you-“

“I still say you do that on purpose,” he accused. “You were so cross when I hit that growth spurt when I was fifteen and that summer you ‘suddenly’ shot up two inches!”

“I’m just not little and dainty like you,” she countered, sticking her tongue out. “I wasn’t much smaller than you when you adopted me, anyways, and I was only eight!”

“Girls grow faster than boys before puberty!” Charles countered, and Alex actually looked between them in alarm.

He looked at Hank and shook his head. “I’ve never seen them actually act like siblings before. This is freaky,” he said, and Hank nodded.

Raven laughed. “Oh you guys have no idea. Growing up with Charles was so annoying. He was always trying to be the best.”

Charles chuckled. “Well I’m the oldest, of course I had to be the best. Besides, I was playing at something bigger, you know. I had to be the best so I could get us away from this bloody place,” he said, looking around distastefully. 

Erik frowned. “You don’t like it here?” he asked Charles, looking at the kitchen as if trying to find what on earth Charles could dislike about it.

Raven and Charles both grew very serious very quickly, however, so Hank quickly changed the subject. “So, I see you’re getting really round now. We should take some tests. Check your weight gain. Make sure you’ve gained enough for what your body needs.”

Charles nodded with a tight smile. “That sounds fine, Hank.”

~

Later, Charles was sitting out on the veranda, enjoying some fresh air and sunshine, when he felt Erik’s presence behind him. “Hello, My Friend.”

Erik came out and sat beside him, on one of the stone benches. He waited for a long moments silence before speaking. “Charles. Why does this place bother you?” he asked softly.

Charles turned, smiling at him. “Oh Erik.” He sighed. “It’s nothing you can change, I fear. And I do not hate it as I used to.” He looked back at the house behind him. “We moved to New York when I was very young, you know? My father died and my mother remarried.” He chortled. “Fat lot of good it did. My step-father was a gold-digging bastard and my mother was a worthless drunk. They spent all their time on their appearances. Neither ever had any time nor desire to be a parent.” He smiled sadly. “I was just… quite alone. For a long time.” His smile turned more genuine and he nodded towards the windows. “Raven broke in to steal food when I found her. She was pretending to be my mother. And I knew right away it wasn’t her because my mother never once offered to make me food. I’m not sure she knew how to make hot chocolate. Raven turned into her true self and there she was.” He shook his head. “A little blue girl standing naked in my kitchen, starving and looking for food. I told her to take anything she wanted and promised her she’d never have to go without anything she needed ever again.”

“And she didn’t,” Erik said but Charles gave him a smile.

“She needed parents. I had none, but I was older. Instead, I altered everybody’s minds to think that I’d had a sister all along. And we were just equally as ignored together. Only had each other.” He shook his head. “Prior to this baby, Erik, there is nothing in this world I have ever loved more than Raven. She is my sister more than she ever could have been by blood.” He gave him a long look. “I hated you more for taking Raven away from me than for the bullet you accidentally deflected to my spine, but all along it was my fault.”

Erik looked at him. “Yet you still won’t let her walk around in her natural form-“

“She is in her natural form,” Charles argued. “I was terrible for making her think she isn’t beautiful in her blue skin, I would never do that again.”

“Yet she still wears clothes,” Erik argued, looking a little bit annoyed. “She has no need for them-“

“Call me old fashioned, Erik, but can you possibly imagine why a man wouldn’t want to look at his _naked sister_ all the time?” Charles said incredulously. “Honestly, Erik.” He raised a finger. “And I didn’t tell her to do that, she did it voluntarily. She was wearing clothes when she first came home. Probably since she had a small child with her.”

Erik chuckled. “A small child who is blind?”

Charles gave him a playfully stern look. “Some of us have more consideration to propriety than you and your obscenely tight jumpers, Erik,” he teased.

Erik gave him a small smirk then looked out across the garden. “Funny. I’ve never heard a complaint before.” Erik stood and tilted his head. “I need to go do something so I’ll leave you to enjoy your afternoon,” he said before heading inside.

Charles grumbled. “Handsome bastard.”

~

There were plenty of things going on to distract Charles from the strange dance he and Erik seemed to be doing lately. There was no other way to describe the odd flirting but never addressing it thing that they kept doing. He was busy helping create some sort of glasses or goggles to allow young Scott to actually see once again in spite of his mutation, as well as generally dealing with all the concerns of pregnancy he dealt with every day, so he hadn’t really noticed the way that Erik occasionally went into town to mail letters or the time he spent on the telephone in the study. 

He did notice, however, when he was startled from reading up on different materials to try and test for his and Hank’s project by Raven screaming from downstairs somewhere, he immediately reached out with his mind. 

_Raven?! Are you alright?_

Rather than a telepathic answer, she actually shouted loud enough for him to hear. “CHARLES! Come quick!”

Charles immediately dropped his book and left the room. He cast out to check on everybody and found Hank and Erik both with Raven while Alex was still in his room with Scott. When he actually got to the entry hall he gasped at the sight of Erik’s face as he argued with Hank and Raven. “Erik!” he cried in alarm, and Erik gritted his teeth visibly.

“See?! I didn’t want to worry him, he’s _pregnant_ he doesn’t need stress-“

“Did you think he’d MISS it?!” Raven countered. “You look like you got in a fight with a whole bar-“

“You’re the one who went out and-“

“This doesn’t concern either of you-“

Charles huffed and froze the others just as he snapped at Erik. “Stop talking.” Erik blinked in surprise at Hank and Raven frozen then turned to look at Charles. Charles rolled closer, glaring as he looked at the black eye, bloody lip, and scratches on his chin. “What are you up to, Erik. What have you been doing behind my back?” he demanded.

Erik’s face tensed and his jaw worked. “Charles, it’s not worth your worry-“

“YOU PROMISED ME!” Charles shouted, unable to stop his voice crackling. He bit his lip, utterly pissed at the prickling in his eyes. He hated his emotional nature normally, but pregnancy had only made it worse. “Your staying here and being a part of your child’s life was conditional upon you agreeing to pick this baby above your cause-“

“And I-“

“STOP!” Charles snapped. “I know you, you didn’t go get mugged, you are too powerful for a human to hurt you like that. You were meeting with a mutant. You met with someone who can fight you. You have been doing things behind my back for you damned Brotherhood.” Erik paled visibly and Charles narrowed his eyes. “I don’t need to pry into your mind to know about your damn organization.”

“It is nothing to worry about any longer,” Erik said in a forced calm tone, though he was clearly very worked up. “I give you my word-“

“And why should that mean anything to me, Erik?” Charles asked, lip quivering as he forcefully rubbed at his eye before any tears could fall. “You have always been honest with me, even when you knew it would drive a wedge between us. Why are you doing this now?”

“I left them for good,” Erik said coldly. Charles startled in surprise and Erik walked closer. “The deal was that I give up my cause for the time being, to stop fighting with them and risk bringing danger here to our child, Charles, and I decided that it’s time I get out of it completely. If I’m to be a father, I cannot have my attention dragged away by calls and questions all the time, I need to be either one hundred percent here or there and I chose _here_.” He gritted his teeth and knelt down in front of him. “I chose _you_ ,” he said more gently. He reached out and cupped Charles’s cheek in his hand, and Charles just stared. Erik smiled sadly, gesturing to his face. “I went to meet with them. I left very early and drove a long way, don’t fear I met them just in town,” he comforted. “I met them and they did not expect my answer. One of them is telekinetic and I cannot stop a branch flying at my head,” he said with a small chuckle. 

Charles cleared his throat, swallowing hard. “So… so you mean- that is-“ He ducked his eyes, looking down at his belly. “This isn’t just some sense of responsibility for you, then?” He rubbed at his belly. “I know you want to be a father but I guess I just feared that- that later on. Well, I just never imagined you would stay forever. The baby will only be small for quite a while. I guess- I just assumed one day you would find the lure of fighting more than sitting around changing nappies.” Charles sighed, shoulders slumping some. “I’m so sorry I doubted how much you care about your child, Erik.”

“Charles, don’t be stupid,” Erik sighed, tipping Charles’s chin up. Charles met his eyes reluctantly and Erik brushed his hair out of his face with a meaningful look. “I chose _you_ ,” Charles.”

Charles’s eyes widened and his breath caught. “Oh.”

Erik smiled in amusement, leaning in to press a tender kiss to Charles’s lips, pulling away only enough to rest his forehead against Charles’s. “You’ve known for quite some time that you are the one person in this world I hold most dear, Charles. Did you forget that?”

Charles smiled sheepishly. “No, My Friend, I did not. I just don’t think about it very much.”

“Well you should,” Erik said simply. He pulled back some and rested his hand on Charles’s belly. “You’re carrying my child, do you not find yourself reminded how you came to be in this condition?” he said with a small, playful smile.

Charles laughed softly, rolling his eyes. “I hardly would forget you shagging my brains out, Erik.”

Erik shook his head, giving Charles a warm smile. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to his jaw. “No, not just that, Charles.” He smiled against his cheek, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Showing you every ounce of my feelings for you. Making love to you for what I knew was the last time I’d ever get the chance. I knew our missions were not the same and it would rip us apart again.” He pulled back and smiled down at Charles’s belly. “I never could’ve known it was going to create a new beginning rather than an ending.”

Charles gave him a tender look and closed his hand over Erik’s on his belly. “You mean it. You’re willing to start over with me and our child.”

Erik nodded. “A child gives a new purpose to my whole life, Charles. I’ve been driven by hate and revenge for so long. Now I have new motivation. Love for not just you but our child, and the need to be a good father.” He shook his head. “All I’ve ever wanted since I was a boy was to have a family again. You and this baby. You’re my family now.”

Charles couldn’t help it, he grabbed Erik by the back of the neck and pulled him into a kiss. A real kiss this time. One that had force and passion and was far more pleasurable than the small kiss Erik had given him moments ago. Erik’s hands slid from Charles’s belly and jaw to tangle into his hair, moaning as he angled him closer. Charles gripped at his shoulders as Erik expertly parted his lips, sending sparks down his spine. 

Charles was so caught up in the kiss that he didn’t realize he had lost control of the others frozen in the room until Hank spoke. “Whoa… Charles must have frozen us because we missed a whole middle part somewhere.”

“Uh, Charles? I thought you and Erik were only being civil for the baby,” Raven said.

Charles laughed when Erik pulled away from him and turned to give her a glare. “It appears I was quite incorrect about that, Raven.”

She crossed her arms. “And what about whatever the hell he’s up to-“

“We’ve spoken and I have learned the truth,” Charles interrupted, giving her a look that clearly said that was all that needed to be said about it. “You can all go about your days now.” He looked up at Erik, who had stood as soon as he started talking. “Come with me and let me take a look at those injuries,” he said, turning to head back to his study.

Erik made a grumpy sound as he followed him. “Charles, it’s not bad-“

“And I’ll be sure of that when I make sure you don’t have a chipped cheekbone or eye socket,” Charles said simply. 

Erik seemed patient enough to oblige Charles and let him dab at the scraps with antiseptic and look him over until he was convinced Erik was alright. “Convinced now?” he asked and Charles smiled, nodding.

“Yes, you’ll live.” He tutted, turning Erik’s face to look him over. “Hopefully it won’t leave a permanent mark on your pretty face, Darling,” he teased.

Erik chuckled. “There are a lot of things to say about my face, Charles, but I don’t think ‘pretty’ is one of them.”

“You’re right,” Charles said, releasing his face to put away the case with the first aid pieces. “Devilishly handsome fits you more. Very stern, very mysterious, yet attractive.”

Erik leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbow on the corner of Charles’s desk to prop his chin in his hand. “And you’re just unnaturally beautiful,” he said with an almost reverent air. Charles chortled.

“Oh get off, I am not.”

“You really are,” Erik argued, smiling. “Your face is as beautiful to me as my power is to you.”

Charles actually blushed when he looked at him. “Erik, stop it-“

Erik slid his chair forward, coming to a stop inches from Charles as he caught his hand. “Tell me, Charles, what on earth must I do to convince you I’m being serious?” he asked, grinning. “Honestly, you’ve seen yourself through my eyes before. What else could you need to convince you?” He reached out and gently brushed a fingertip along the ridge of Charles’s eyebrow, smiling when he saw how Charles’s breath caught. “Do I need to write poetry comparing your eyes to the purest clear sky? Or how your lips are clearly a mutation because nobody’s lips are naturally the color of ripe strawberries. Women pay hundreds of dollars trying to find that shade of red in makeup and there you are, waking up looking like that.”

Charles laughed. “Oh alright. Stop it.” He pulled Erik’s hand away from his face. “I get it, you think I’m handsome-“

“Gorgeous,” Erik countered and Charles grinned.

“Still, now you’re just gushing. You’re clearly trying to stop me thinking about the menace you’ve been today. Honestly, Erik, you’re more than forgiven. Stop trying to get in my good graces so hard,” he said in a failed attempt to seem stern.

Erik grinned, in a way that would look predatory to anyone who didn’t know him, and stood. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone, you beautiful man,” he said and Charles glared at him.

“Erik.”

Erik held up his hands. “I’m going, I’m going. I probably still have dirt in my hair, so I’m going to go get cleaned up before dinner time.”

Charles snorted. “Oh dinner will be very interesting, I’m sure. I bet there are lots of questions about you and I coming to an understanding.”

“I’d be shocked if there wasn’t.”

~

As Charles’s pregnancy progressed, he felt more and more energetic around the middle. He was very happy with the progress towards helping Scott, he was pleased that Raven seemed more and more intent to stay with him, and he was damn well delighted all the time when he remembered that Erik was there to stay. It helped that, after their breakthrough, Erik was constantly complimenting him on how much pregnancy suited him and they were once again as close as they had been long ago, before there was ever a wedge between them. He and Erik often spent hours of the day together, even when they did nothing but share the room to do their respective reading. 

It was mad how giddy it made him feel sometimes to think about Erik calling them a family. Erik was not the only one who had lost that sense of family for some time. 

However, as he grew nearer the point in his pregnancy that his last pregnancy had ended, he couldn’t help the small portion of his brain that kept making him paranoid. For a solid week, every single day he had Hank help him make use of the blood pressure cuff in their first aid kit to be absolutely sure he was not in a dangerous drop or spike that might endanger his baby.

One night, his fears culminated in a very horrific nightmare in which Charles had gone to bed and, in his dreams, woke up to find himself on an operating table. 

_The doctors wore masks and glasses and he could not see who any of them were, and as he tried to tell them to stop, that his baby was not ready to be born, no sound came from his mouth. He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t cry out, he even tried screaming as hard as possible, but nothing he could do could stop them from cutting him open and taking his baby out. It was impossible to see the actual birth, but his dream twisted into the same memory he had suppressed ever since he’d read it from Hank._

_He was suddenly healed and whole and wearing different clothes and looking down at his baby as she lay, far too small, skin bright red from the blood vessels so visible due to her prematurity, wrapped in only a small towel as she lay in his arms. He tried to call for help but there was nothing around him but an empty, too-white room. He screamed and cried and tried to hold her closer to keep her warm, but within minutes her tiny chest stopped moving and she died in his arms while he did nothing, leaving him standing all alone, screaming for help that could not come._

“Charles! CHARLES!”

Charles jerked awake with a loud scream, reaching desperately for his belly, only to let out a sob and wrapped his arms protectively around his middle, crying harder than he had in years. “Not again, no, not again,” he sobbed.

“Charles, it’s alright.” Charles realized in surprise that there were arms around him and he lifted his head and let out another broken sound as he looked up at Erik, who was stroking his hair with weak, shaky fingers. 

“Shhhh, it’s just a dream.” Charles whimpered and looked behind him to see Raven was kneeling on the other side of the bed, trying to pry his hands from his shirt to hold in her own. He reached back and clasped one of her hands and turned to cry into Erik’s chest, unable to stop.

“Is he okay?” Hank asked from the doorway and Charles could see the way he was shaking.

“Hank,” Charles said weakly and Hank nodded, knowing what Charles was going to ask.

“You were projecting really hard. I wasn’t even asleep and I suddenly started getting flashes of emotions,” he said, leaning back against the door.

Charles whimpered, clenching his hand against Erik’s trouser leg. “J-Just emotions?”

Hank nodded. “But I- I know-“ He swallowed hard and shook his head.

Raven moved to sit with her legs crossed beneath her, hand on his side. “Charles, what was that? You don’t have nightmares that vivid ever. What the hell?”

“It’s pregnancy,” Hank explained. “Around the middle, the book he bought says nightmares are pretty common.”

Erik took a deep breath, pressing a kiss to Charles’s hair. “It wasn’t just emotions that I got this close.” Erik’s bedroom as just across the hall from Charles’s, whereas Raven’s was all the way down the hall, Hank’s lab was downstairs, and Alex and Scott’s rooms were on the other side of the house. 

Charles let out another sob, lifting himself enough to reach up and cup Erik’s face. “Oh Erik, I’m so sorry-“

“It was her, wasn’t it?” he asked hollowly, eyes searching Charles’s desperately. “That wasn’t- that was-“

“Yes,” Charles whispered, and he watched as Erik’s face scrunched some, as though he were fighting hard to not show his emotions. “I never wanted you to have to see that, Erik. Never.”

Raven frowned, looking between them. “See what?” she asked, and Charles shook his head.

“Please Raven, no,” he whispered. 

Erik cleared his throat, sitting up some. He took Charles’s wrist and held two fingers to it, looking at the clock on the bedside table for a while, and then pressed his hand to Charles’s head. “His pulse is fine, he hasn’t got a fever. I think it was really just a nightmare, Hank,” he said, and Hank nodded from the doorway.

“You should just rest then, Charles,” Hank suggested.

Charles nodded, reaching up to wipe at his eyes. “I- I’m alright, Hank. I know it.”

Hank gave him a meaningful look. “Charles, nothing about this time is like that time. You are fine. The baby is fine. Nothing is going to make that happen again, alright?”

Charles sighed, forcing a smile. “I know, Hank. Thank you.”

Raven leaned over and kissed his cheek, then hugged him close. “Get some more sleep, okay? It’s all okay.”

Charles smiled and pressed his lips to her hair. “Thank you,” he said, rubbing her arm before letting her go so she could get up and leave. He looked up at Erik, who just shook his head.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, and Charles shuffled back in the bed some so that Erik could climb in with him. Erik settled against the pillows, curling his arms around Charles as he lay against his chest, curled into his side. 

Charles rubbed his bare chest – he had clearly leapt straight out of bed and run across the hall – soothingly. “Are you alright?” he asked gently.

Erik smiled sadly, looking down at his face. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

Charles gave him a stern look. “Erik, I never meant to ever make you see that. I can tell how upset it’s made you.”

“Of course it has,” Erik said hoarsely. He rubbed at his face with the hand not resting on Charles’s hip. “I- I watched our daughter die, Charles. Is that what-“

“Hank,” Charles said softly. “It was through his eyes. They were all controlled by me to find nothing strange about my being pregnant and he was known to them as the uncle. When it was clear she was too early and would not live very long, one very kind nurse asked Hank if he’d like to hold her, comfort her so she wasn’t cold and alone when…” Charles cleared his throat. “When I woke up and was groggy and confused, I wanted to know where my baby was and Hank just- he just gave me that. He couldn’t even speak about it he was so distraught. He is such a true friend. He was the only one who was with me all the time I was in the hospital. All the time I was pregnant. He was the one I talked to about my future from that point, and he knew how lost I would be then after losing her.”

Erik curled his arms around Charles tighter, pressing his face into his hair. “I’m so sorry, Charles. It’s all my fault,” he croaked and Charles sighed hard.

“No, Erik. It is nobody’s fault-“

“You said it yourself! I killed our daughter-“

Charles let out a wounded sound. “I never should have said that to you, Erik. Anger is no excuse for having ever said that.” He turned his head and pulled Erik’s face so he could look at him. “It was nobody’s fault. It was all a horrible accident. Nothing more, nothing less, Erik. And I never wanted you to see what you saw because that was a long time ago and there is no use dwelling on what could have been.” Charles swallowed hard. “She died a decade ago, Erik. I was in no position to be a parent. I was going to try my best, but honestly, what kind of life would she have had? I would have loved her more than anything, but she would have never had the life she deserved.” He took a breath, wiping away Erik’s tears even as his own threatened to fall. “It’s alright to mourn her, but do not dwell on the past, My Friend.”

Erik gave a watery smile. “I wouldn’t have ever known about her anyways, I guess,” he admitted. “I just- I was going to be a father. Have a family.”

Charles nodded and brought Erik’s hand to his belly. Erik immediately slid his hand reverently along the curve of his belly, closing his eyes. Charles smiled gently. “That was a tragic part of both our lives, but now we are both wiser, we are both stronger, and we are together now. This baby will not suffer the fate of our first. This baby will have a stable home, two loving parents, and everything a child deserves. You are a father. You have a family, Erik.” He shook his head. “So you can mourn what we lost, but do not drown in guilt when you have so much more to focus on now than the past.”

Erik sighed heavily and curled his arms tighter around Charles, pulling him into a hug. “You remind me of my mother sometimes,” he said and Charles chuckled in surprise.

“That’s an odd reaction.” He smiled as he closed his eyes, cheek resting on Erik’s chest. “In what way?” he asked.

“She was always able to see the light in the darkness,” Erik said in a steady, warm voice that rumbled beneath Charles’s ear. “I often find myself thinking about how ashamed of the man I’ve become she would be, actually. I let hatred and anger become everything in me. There has been so little room for love or joy in my whole life apart from my time with you when you first found me and again here and now.”

Charles hummed. “I don’t thinks he would be ashamed of you, Erik. She would understand why.” He rubbed a hand across Erik’s forearm soothingly. “Even when I disagree with you, I always understand why you feel the way you do. You and I are very different, Darling. You have seen the ugliest mankind can be. You have suffered the worst torment and faced the darkest parts of all of humanity. You have been granted so little kindness in all your years. I am never surprised by your hatred or anger. I feel some of it myself when I think of the horrible things done to you and witnessed by you.”

“Everything good my mother and father instilled in me was destroyed long ago,” Erik agreed sadly.

“No,” Charles said simply. “I see the goodness in you, Erik. I always have. You just cannot find it yourself.” The smile as audible in his voice when he spoke again. “You have so much love in your heart, Erik. You have such an incredible capacity for good and love and I know that it is in there. You just haven’t been given enough of a reason to find it in yourself, My Friend. I’ve always had faith in you, Erik. You only need to find faith in yourself.”

Erik chuckled. “Again, just like my mother.” He stroked Charles’s belly with a soft smile. “Do you know, I’ve discovered that something she used to say all the time is very true. ‘Geteilte Freude ist doppelte Freude, geteilter Schmerz ist halber Schmerz.’”

Charles hummed. “It’s beautiful. What does it mean?” he asked and Erik hummed in amusement, kissing his hair. 

“It means, ‘a joy shared is doubled, a sorrow shared is cut in half.’” Erik sighed, breath moving Charles’s hair. “Whenever I’m with you, even when I didn’t know you, just finding another person who could understand… it made every triumph all that more happy. And all my fears were lessened because I knew I had you there. You amplify the happiness I feel and you always manage to lessen the unhappiness.”

Charles tilted his head up to smile at Erik. “Your mother was not wrong in that respect. Being alone makes all the bad things worse and all the good things less important.”

“You are the best thing I’ve ever known,” Erik murmured, leaning down to kiss him tenderly.

Charles settled more comfortably against him. “And you have given me the most wonderful gift in the world. Consider me returning the feelings, Love.”

Erik carefully slid further down until he was lying and rearranged Charles to continue holding him. “I’ll stay here with you. Just in case,” he explained and Charles just grinned as he made himself comfortable.

“Goodnight, My Friend.”

~

Waking in the warm embrace of Erik’s arms was the most pleasant way to start the day, Charles decided. Erik was still breathing heavily and evenly into the back of his hair, arm draped around Charles to rest on his belly. Charles could not remember a time he’d felt more safe in his life, even though he knew that was absolutely the maddest thought ever. Erik’s warmth made it so easy for him to doze back off, falling into that pleasant space between waking and sleeping, until the breathing against his hair changed and Erik’s hand twitched as he slowly woke up.

Charles turned in his arms just far enough to look over his shoulder and smile as Erik slowly blinked awake. “Good morning, Erik,” he murmured, and Erik gave him a sleepy smile, grey eyes shining brightly in the morning sunlight as he nuzzled into Charles’s pillow. 

“Morning,” he mumbled, tightening his arms around Charles some as he tucked his chin over Charles’s shoulder. “Mmmm. This is nice,” he admitted in a hoarse murmur, sneaking a hand up Charles’s shirt to rest on his belly with nothing in between his hand and Charles’s skin. “Are you both well this morning?” he asked, and Charles couldn’t fight a bright smile.

“Yes, both daddy and baby are quite well after last night’s scare,” he reassured. 

“Good,” Erik replied, looking up into Charles’s eyes. “I could wake up like this every day,” he confessed idly, smiling as he looked over Charles’s face. “No day started with your beautiful face being the first I see could dare be a bad day.”

Charles flushed, rolling his eyes. “Oh please. Honestly, Erik.” He scrunched up his nose. “I’m getting quite fat actually.”

Erik gave him a playful glare. “Pregnant and beautiful.”

“No, really, not just my belly, all of me. You may not have noticed since I’m seated all the time, but my bum in particular-“

Erik cut him off with a finger on his lips. “Pregnant and beautiful, Charles.” He smiled when Charles gave him a grumpy pout behind his finger. “Pregnant women gain weight. No reason pregnant men shouldn’t do the same. It’s all part of creating another whole person with your body.” He raised up on one elbow and leaned in to replace his finger on Charles’s lips with his own. Charles hummed happily as Erik kissed him sweetly, hand traveling back up his shirt. “Alright?” he asked when he pulled back and Charles sighed happily.

“Alright, Darling, but tell that to my trousers, they’re the ones that are straining at the seams because of my bum. I’ve gotten away with just unbuttoning them over my stomach, since I sit and they can’t fall down that way, but they are starting to protest elsewhere,” he grumbled.

Erik chuckled. “Then they do not deserve a place on your body, because it’s too perfect to take any level of protest, even from trousers,” he joked, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to his face, where his cheeks were getting rounder.

Charles chuckled. “Well, you are more than welcome to remove them at any time you see fit,” he joked flirtatiously, only to have Erik go oddly still. Charles looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

Erik raised one in return. “Oh really?” Charles waited and Erik pushed on. “I wasn’t aware you- I mean-“ He sighed, grimacing. “No matter how I say this it’s going to be horribly rude,” he complained.

It finally clicked and Charles laughed softly. “Oh, um, you mean you didn’t think I _could_ -“

“Well, I didn’t think on it a lot or anything, but I just assumed as much,” Erik finished, nodding. “I mean, you are _paralyzed_.”

“Actually, I am not technically paralyzed,” Charles explained, reaching up to brush Erik’s bangs across his forehead, noting to remind Erik later that he needed a haircut. “Where the bullet hit me was below where the spinal cord ends. What happened is it struck a bundle of nerves that go to my legs. I have no feeling in my legs below about mid-thigh, but I am not truly paralyzed in the sense of no use at all of my lower body,” he explained. 

Erik looked distantly guilty once again and Charles grabbed his hand, pulling it back to rest on his belly, which caught his attention, making a smile replace that frown. “So to answer your question, yes, actually.” He grimaced. “It would be rather less dignified if I was truly paralyzed. I cannot tell you how embarrassing it would be to have to employ a nurse to help me with something like going to the toilet,” he pointed out. Erik chuckled and Charles shook his head, then looked at Erik with a flirtatious smirk. “Also, it would be incredibly maddening to be pregnant like this and not be able to have a wank.”

Erik laughed in surprise. “What does being pregnant have to do with it?” he asked and Charles scoffed.

“Oi, you have no idea how all these hormones affect a person! I swear to God I haven’t been this constantly horny since I was in my early twenties and at something of a sexual peak,” Charles complained. “Doesn’t help you’re always walking around looking all ridiculous like you always do.”

Erik grinned, looking across at him, chin rested against his palm. “Oh so it’s my fault, then?”

“Of course it is,” Charles teased. “You knocked me up and you’re the only man in this house I’ve ever had the desire to think about sexually.”

Erik’s grin grew predatory and he leaned closer. “So, what you’re saying is that if I were to rid you of your offensive trousers, I could do more than just that while I’m already down there?”

Charles bit his lip, giving Erik a very seductive look. “Darling, you could have me in the middle of the kitchen for all I care, that’s how desperate for a good shag I am.”

Erik swallowed hard. “That’s- that’s good to know,” he said hoarsely. He started to lean in to kiss Charles for real, but Charles turned his head.

“Aside from just now, that is. This child is doing quite the number on my bladder at the moment. There are quite a lot of things being pregnant affects besides the libido, I’m afraid.” Charles sat up and pulled himself to the side of the bed, only to frown when he realized his chair was on the side Erik was on. “Could you be a dear and bring that around to me?” he asked, and Erik obliged, both of them getting up to go about starting their day.

~

Things changed after that night. Not in the way Charles hoped they might – with a passionate rendezvous like he’d longed for ever since the night they shared in Paris – but in smaller ways. With smiles and touches. With Erik holding his hand as they sat on the veranda and just talked. Erik waking him some mornings with his tea and the newspaper on the side table so that they did not have to share their mornings with the others. 

And some not so small, such as Erik moving into his room without ever even saying anything about it. Charles was growing used to Erik sleeping on the other side of the bed, though they usually didn’t end up cuddling the way they had the first night Erik stayed to comfort him.

They also didn’t talk about other things. Such as their relationship. It never once came up in conversation and Charles wasn’t sure who was more afraid to broach the subject, him or Erik. He knew that Erik loved him. He knew he loved Erik. He knew that Erik intended to stay and be a father properly, crusades pushed aside for good in light of their growing family.

Charles also knew that Erik considered him and their child his family.

But they still never spoke about their relationship. They never defined what they were. There were a few kisses and touches, but it was always innocent. In spite of what seemed like a start the morning they talked about potentially having sex, it never came up. Not one time. 

~

One day, Charles woke before Erik – an oddity since Erik liked to go running – and went down to breakfast alone. The others asked after Erik, but he just told them Erik was still sleeping. He didn’t realized until it had nearly gone time for lunch that he still hadn’t seen Erik, so he went back upstairs. When he got back to his room, he was surprised to find Erik still in bed. He was clearly awake, Charles had come to know Erik’s breathing pattern while sleeping, but he was hiding under the covers all the same.

Charles wheeled over to the edge of the bed and gently lay his hand on Erik’s shoulder. “Erik? Are you alright?” he asked gently. Erik grumbled something and Charles tugged the blankets from over his face only to frown when he saw how much sadness was etched into the lines of Erik’s face, making him look old and worn. “Erik? Darling, what’s wrong?” He reached out to touch his face and was relieved to find it was not warm. “You don’t seem ill-“

“It’s just a bad day,” Erik muttered, rolling onto his back. He pushed his hands over his face, mussing his hair as he went, only to let his arms drop above his head as he blinked at the ceiling.

Charles nodded quietly. “Alright,” he all but whispered. He could tell Erik expected him to leave, but instead he hauled himself from his chair and settled onto the bed beside Erik. Erik looked at him in confusion and a bit of unease, clearly not happy to show so much negativity in front of Charles, but when Charles patted his lap pointedly Erik didn’t hesitated to roll over and lay his cheek against Charles’s thigh, forehead leaning against his belly. “There you go, Love.” He soothingly stroked his hair, smiling as he closed his eyes and tipped his head back. “Now. Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong.”

Erik didn’t respond for quite a while. Charles had nearly dozed off when Erik finally spoke. “Today is my mother’s birthday,” Erik whispered in the tiniest, most broken tone Charles had ever heard from him. 

Charles looked down at Erik, whose mouth was pressed in a tight line and whose hands were clenched in Charles’s (Erik’s) sweatshirt at his side. “Oh, My Friend,” Charles whispered, reaching down to cup his cheek in his hand. 

Erik nodded weakly. “She would have been seventy today. A grandmother.” He hesitated then chuckled bitterly, releasing the sweater to slide his hand across Charles’s belly. “An actual grandmother at that, not just an elderly woman.” He laughed hollowly. “Granted, she might not have been thrilled with the fact I grew to be more interested in men than women, so maybe she wouldn’t have wanted to be the baby’s grandmother.” 

“The way you speak of her, I can only imagine your mother was a very wonderful woman,” Charles murmured, stroking Erik’s bangs from his eyes. “If she was half the woman you’ve expressed she was, I’m fairly certain she would have loved this baby very much. I still remember that memory you and I shared long ago, and she seemed so warm and nurturing. She clearly was a good mother.”

Erik laughed wetly. “The most amazing mother. She was so kind, Charles. So kind.” He looked up at Charles and Charles’s heart ached for the pain behind his smile. “The two of you would’ve got along so well. You are just the same. So kind no matter what. She always taught me to look for the best in any situation. Every time things got worse for us, she still tried to remind me of the good things. She tried to comfort me no matter how scared she was in any situation.” Charles watched a bitter twist of that same anger that he knew Erik would always have inside of him come to the surface as he spat, “Even with her last breaths she tried to comfort me.”

Charles cupped Erik’s face in his hand. “There are no words that could ever be anywhere near close to enough to express how incredible horrible the things you have seen and faced in your lifetime are, Erik. I would never patronize you by trying to tell you to look for any positive because there isn’t one. There is no greater purpose in the suffering you have faced. There is not a drop of anything but senselessness in the horrors of your life.” Erik looked grateful at Charles not trying to lighten the situation. Charles stroked his cheek gently. “Your mother loved you. Your mother sounds like an incredible person. Your mother should’ve lived to a ripe old age and not been murdered by fucking Nazis. I am so incredibly sorry that I cannot make this pain stop, My Friend.” 

“You and our child being in my reach is the most you can do,” he said, rubbing at Charles’s belly. “Mama would have been very grateful that you and our child gave me the kick up the arse I needed to let go of some of the rage inside me.”

Charles hummed softly. “I know you still believe all the same things and I don’t fault you for that, Erik. But it is within you to do so much good rather than court war unnecessarily. I did nothing-“

Erik shook his head. “You bring out the good in me, Charles. You and I both know without the motivation to want to be around for our child and for you, I wouldn’t have found the strength to let go of my anger.”

“Anger is all you had for a very long time. I always understood,” Charles soothed. “I am just glad you found a way to allow love to guide you before it was too late.”

Erik smiled sadly, snuggling into Charles. “I love you, Charles. Thank you for loving me back.” Charles tutted weakly but held him right back, knowing that the best he could do at the moment would be to comfort him and remind him just how much love he had.

~

Raven looked between Charles and Erik as they both stared at the chessboard between them. “So what’s the deal with you two?” she asked.

“What’s what deal?” Charles asked absently, still staring at the pieces.

She unfurled her legs, crossing them at the ankle along the sofa. “Well, are you guys a couple? I’m assuming you are cause you share a bed and stuff, but I mean… How’s that gonna work out?”

“Of course we’re a couple,” Erik muttered, moving a piece finally. “What, did you think we’re just very close friends?” he asked her as if she’d asked the dumbest question ever. 

Charles looked at him curiously, chin rested on his folded hands. “‘Of course’ you say? Why ‘of course’?”

Erik looked at him like he was mad. “If you haven’t noticed, Charles, we share a room, and a bed, and clothes. Also, most importantly, we care about each other and are having a baby together. What more should she need?” he asked incredulously.

Charles raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know. It’s just that sharing a room and bed could be part of you caring for me in case I need it again. We share clothes because I am too large for my own at the moment. And we always loved each other, even when we were fighting. And having a baby together means very little as to our relationship as anything besides parents of the same child. It’s not difficult for her to mistake it as us coming to an agreement in our friendship about our child, you know.”

Erik looked at him curiously. “Do you not consider us a couple?” he asked suspiciously.

Charles gave him an amused grin. “Oh I wanted to, but I really wasn’t sure either. We haven’t really ever discussed it-“

“Charles, I would not kiss you and hold you if I meant to not show my love for you,” Erik argued, looking vaguely offended. 

Raven snickered. “See, Charles? Told you he’s so not like you,” she said and Charles glared over at her. “Charles never really did relationships so to him those things were pretty much ‘comfort because we can and sex is fun’ things for most of his twenties-“

“Thank you, Raven,” Charles interrupted, giving her a stern look. “I know how Erik feels about me and that’s what matters.”

Erik tutted, shaking his head at Charles. “Charles, is this about sex?” he asked teasingly and Raven made a face.

“Please don’t talk about sex with Charles in front of me,” she said, and Charles scoffed under his breath.

“That would have to have occurred to be discussed,” he said and Erik’s amused smile turned into a full smirk.

“Charles,” he said and Charles gave him a warning look. Erik just laughed softly. “Charles if it’s because we’re not having sex, you could’ve tried suggesting you want sex. I am not the telepath in this relationship,” he said and Charles rolled his eyes with a playful laugh.

“Lehnsherr, I’m six months pregnant. There is very little time in the past two months I haven’t been blindingly horny-“

Raven made a horrified sound. “Oh God, I’ve got to go bleach my ears now.” Raven stood and vacated the room very quickly. Clearly she had heard enough. 

“You could suggest we shag in the middle of the front lawn and I’d probably agree to it,” Charles said bluntly. “I’m pretty sure there have been moments in the past few weeks since we started sharing a bed during which, were I given the choice, I’d probably choose sex with you over the ability to walk again.”

Erik grinned, leaning forward some. “If that’s how you feel, I could be persuaded to postpone our game until tomorrow-“

“Oh _God_ yes,” Charles groaned, and Erik leapt from his seat, rounding the table to kiss Charles soundly. “Mmmm, Bedroom, Darling?”

“Yes, please.”

~

It wasn’t just as simple as ‘have sex’ might have once been. Between pregnancy and paralysis, it took patience that their passion barely had time for, and a bit of figuring things out, but in the end, even though they had to be far more careful than they ever had in the past, neither of them had any complaints whatsoever.

Charles groaned happily as he rolled onto his back, shoulder bumping into Erik’s chest as he lay behind him, sweat drying on his skin as he caught his breath. “Alright. That was _incredible_.” He smiled lazily, nudging Erik’s chin with his forehead. “Top marks.”

Erik let out a sound that could only be described as a _giggle_ , which Charles was sure he’d never heard before, and nuzzled Charles’s temple affectionately. “Grading me on my sexual performance now? That seems a bit too far, Professor.”

Charles bit his lip as he reached out and found Erik’s hand, tugging it to his chest to curl their fingers together. “Mmmm. Wonderful job, Mr. Lehnsherr. I’m very pleased with the results of today’s practice- Alright, no. I’m sorry, I just can’t do that,” Charles said, nose scrunching and Erik laughed at him. “I just cannot make some sexual professor thing happen. Teachers should never think their student is sexy,” he said with a face full of disgust.

Erik pressed his lips to Charles’s head, sighing. “Alright, no dirty old professor jokes.” He settled against Charles, who turned and kissed the corner of his lips before tucking his head under Erik’s chin to get comfortable. Erik dozed off smiling vacantly at the feeling of Charles’s eyelashes fluttering against his throat every once in a while.

He didn’t doze for long, though, before he was startled awake by Charles’s stomach growling. Charles stilled, then cleared his throat. “That was very loud,” he stated and Erik laughed as he sat up, looking down at Charles to see his cheeks bright red. Charles batted at his chest. “Oh stop it, I’m always hungry these days.” He rolled onto his back, putting a hand on his round belly with a sigh. “The three H’s. Hungry, horny, and _heavy_. God, getting in and out of my chair is becoming a nightmare. And I’ve still got a while to go.”

Erik gave him a sympathetic smile. “You know, there’s nothing wrong with letting someone help you, Charles. I know you don’t usually need any help getting around, but you’re in an unusual circumstance.”

Charles made a grumpy face. “I know, but I’m trying to hold out until later.” He sat up, gesturing to the floor. “Will you get me my clothes?”

“Would you rather I just go get you food?” Erik asked, leaning in to kiss his cheek sweetly. He pressed another kiss lower on his jaw. “I could bring you something to eat and maybe after I could help out with one of those other ‘H’ words again,” he purred as he nipped gently at Charles’s earlobe.

Charles chuckled. “Love, as much as I’d like nothing more than to stay in bed all afternoon making love, I do have things to do, sadly.” He turned and met Erik’s lips with his own, grinning when Erik followed him as he pulled away. “Mmmm, tonight, however, you can work on that other ‘H’ word late into the night.” Erik chuckled as he slid out of bed and went to fetch his and Charles’s clothes. Charles watched his muscles moving beneath his skin as he walked and sighed when Erik leaned over, stretching out the long, lean muscles of his legs and giving a nice view of his bum. “You are ridiculous, Erik. How can anybody look like that naked? What on earth did you ever see in my short, tiny little arse?”

“Because I’m not as shallow as you are,” he teased as he brought Charles his clothes. _Or because I saw your face before I ever saw the rest of you and I was taken with your loveliness almost instantly_. 

Charles’s laugh was muffled inside his jumper as he pulled his head through the hole. “I am not that handsome, Erik. You did not fall for my face.”

“Clearly you don’t know my preferences as well as you think you do, Charles,” Erik countered, pulling his trousers on as he stood beside the bed. “Conventional beauty is one thing, but your eyes are bluer than your sister, and that’s saying something. Someone could fall for those eyes alone.”

Charles gave him a cheeky grin. “Well clearly someone already did.” 

Charles was still trying to get his trousers on when he felt resistance and the button shook some. He looked up and watched as Erik crawled up the bed, now dressed, and gave him a very serious gaze as he stopped, kneeling beside him. “You are so much more than beauty,” he said firmly, and Charles could feel Erik’s love bleeding into his own mind. Erik kissed him firmly, and Charles only sure Erik was projecting to him rather than just thinking too loudly for Charles to not hear because his thoughts were in English as he thought, _I was so alone before I met you, and I owe you so much more than my love. Especially after how I rejected you foolishly when you are one of the few good things to ever happen to me._

Charles smiled, breaking the kiss. “Alright, alright. You can fawn over how wonderful I am later, I really do need to get food before the baby decides to start kicking my stomach to shut it up,” he joked, and Erik fell back onto the bed beside him with a sigh.

“Whatever my child wants, my child gets,” Erik agreed sweetly, obediently not helping Charles get into his chair even though his arms shook a bit more than usual.

~

Charles fiddled with Erik’s bangs, tutting. “Darling, honestly, your hair is getting ridiculous. You really should cut it.”

Erik swatted his hand away, giving him a look. “And you’re one to talk, Charles. I could braid your hair like this.”

Charles bit his lip, fighting a giggle. “You know how to _braid hair_?” he asked, and Erik rolled his eyes.

“No, I don’t, but the point still stands.” He flicked the ends of Charles’s hair, which had long sense passed his shoulders. “Your hair is ridiculous and I don’t bother you about it.”

Charles smirked. “You seem to like grabbing a handful of it when I-“

“Hey!” Raven called from across the room, turning to glare at them. “It’s bad enough you decided to come lay on the couch and cuddle while we’re trying to watch the news, but if you start talking about that sort of thing, Hank and Alex and I will have to kill ourselves. Do you wanna be left with nobody to help you with Scott and a baby but Erik?” she asked, and Hank gave a sheepishly apologetic smile from the other chair.

Alex just snorted. “It’d be funny to see just those two dealing with a baby and Scott all at the same time.”

Charles looked back at Erik. “Really though. Your hair-“

“Is fine how it is, thank you,” Erik said shortly, then gave Charles a wink to show he wasn’t actually upset. “Besides.” He sighed dramatically. “It hides my receding hairline. I fear I’m getting old.”

“No you’re not,” Charles said simply. “Remember? It’s almost certain you and I both live into our nineties. Note even halfway there yet.”

“Oh God, that means I have to live with this shit forever?” Raven asked and Erik gave her a look.

“Who says you live to be ninety?” he countered and Raven nodded to her left.

“Hank does. I’m nearly forty now and I still look like a teenager. I’ll probably outlive all of you losers,” she said and Erik shook his head solemnly.

“Poor world. It has no idea,” he joked and Charles laughed openly, only to gasp suddenly.

“Oh!” His hand flew to his belly and he quickly grabbed Erik’s wrist. “Erik!”

“Charles? What’s wrong?!” Erik asked worriedly, and everybody tensed, but Charles just shoved Erik’s hand to his belly. Erik’s eyes widened and a nearly scary-large smile spread across his face. “Oh!”

Charles laughed delightedly. “Finally! I was starting to think you’d never be around when the baby started going!” He held his hand over Erik’s beaming up at him. “Awwww, I must’ve woke it up when I laughed,” he said and Erik just stared down at his stomach with a ridiculous smile. Charles glanced over at Raven. “He’s not felt the baby kicking before,” he explained and she smiled sweetly.

“Awww. Even I’ve felt it,” she said and Erik laughed with a suspicious strain to his tone.

“I’m never around when it feels like moving somehow,” he said and when he looked up at Charles again, Charles could see the tears in his eyes. “I can feel it. I can feel it kicking my hand.”

Charles cupped his cheek, smiling tenderly. “Oh My Friend. It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Erik nodded, then laughed wetly once more as he looked back down at Charles’s belly and his hand on his belly. Charles leaned his head against the back of the couch and watched as Erik interacted for the first time with their baby.

~

Erik was clearly trying not to laugh, which only annoyed Charles more. He tried his best to lift himself enough to get out of bed and into his chair, but every time he started to move, his arms shook under the strain. Erik was waiting to rush forward and catch him if he fell, but Charles did not want to give into the temptation to let Erik just help him.

“I can do this,” he said in frustration, gritting his teeth.

“Charles,” Erik sighed, and Charles made a grumpy sound and gave up, shoving the chair away from the bed.

“Goddammit,” he cursed. He looked up at Erik and sighed. “Erik, will you help me get into my chair, please?” he asked and Erik nodded, smiling in spite of himself. He walked over and Charles wrapped his arms around Erik’s shoulders as he picked him up. He narrowed his eyes at Erik’s little smirk. “Stop looking so amused. If you tell anybody, I’ll make you think you’re an elderly priest for the rest of the afternoon.”

Erik laughed outright as he lowered Charles into his chair. “You would not,” he dismissed, kissing the top of his head. He tried to pull away but Charles didn’t let go of his neck, tugging him down to glare at him. “I won’t tell anybody, Charles. You know I wouldn’t do that to you,” he replied and Charles smiled.

“Alright, no priests for now,” he joked.

Erik laughed. “I know nothing about priests anyways. I’m a bad enough Jew as it is, I know nothing at all about Catholicism.”

Charles shrugged. “Neither do I, actually, Raven and I were never sent to Sunday school. I haven’t the slightest idea what a priest does. So I’d probably just have you walking around crossing yourself.”

Erik just chuckled. “You’re so ridiculous.”

Charles jumped slightly then laughed and put a hand on his belly. “Seems our little one thinks so, too.”

Erik leaned down and rubbed Charles’s belly with the same reverent smile he always had when he did so. “Yes, your Daddy is very mad, isn’t he? Don’t worry, you won’t be mad like him. No, of course not,” he said, grinning as he squatted down to press a kiss to Charles’s belly. “Yes, you’re safe from his insanity, Liebling.”

“Oh Erik.” Charles shook his head, very amused when Erik looked up and looked a little sheepish. “To know for a second what goes on in that head of yours,” he teased.

Erik raised an eyebrow pointedly. “Says the _telepath_.”

Charles scrunched his nose. “Yes, well, I don’t make a habit of prying into my loved-ones minds. Also all your non-visual thoughts are in German, and smart as I am, I don’t speak German, My Friend.”

Erik put his hands on the arms of Charles’s chair and leaned in with a playful twinkle in his eyes. “Du bist der schönste Mann, den ich je gesehen habe.” He leaned slowly closer, holding eye-contact the whole time. “Unser Baby ist das Beste,was mir passieren konnte.” His eyes flickered down to Charles’s lips. “Jedes Mal, wenn ich mir die Lippen Ich will dich küssen und nie aufhören.” Charles licked his lips and Erik leaned their foreheads together for a moment. “Ich liebe dich so sehr , Charles.”

Charles’s heart fluttered a bit and he beamed. “I know that one. I love you too, Darling.”

Erik chuckled. “Küss mich.”

Charles frowned adorably. “Um. Something you?” Erik laughed and shook his head, then kissed him firmly, startling a moan out of Charles. “Oh, hello.” Erik kissed him again and Charles sighed into the kiss. 

When he pulled away and stood up, Erik winked. “It means ‘kiss me’,” he said simply, making Charles grin.

“Wonderful. You have to teach me more. Especially things that get me kisses,” he said eagerly as he and Erik started out of the room.

Erik just nodded and opened the door with his powers. “Of course. You and the baby can learn together.”

“Excellent,” Charles said brightly as he and Erik went around starting their day together.

~

It was ridiculous, Charles thought, how the further along he got the more he seemed to not be able to get enough of Erik. He thought being heavily pregnant would diminish his libido, but unfortunately, it just made sex more difficult.

Currently, in order to go down on Erik, he had to lay sideways across the bed, Erik’s thighs under his side, to duck down over his lap. It was not the most comfortable angle, but between his belly and being unable to kneel, they had to find a way to manage. 

Charles moaned around Erik’s cock at the sight of Erik’s muscles clenching and releasing as he gripped at the blankets with the hand that wasn’t cupping Charles’s neck. Charles pulled off, stroking Erik with his hand. “Pull my hair,” he said, and Erik looked down at him, eyes darkening some as he looked at Charles’s lips. Charles smirked up at him. “Yes, I’m well aware you like my lips,” he purred before turning to mouth at the side of his cock, eyes fixed on Erik’s.

Erik did what he wanted and slid his hand into Charles’s hair. Charles winked and then sucked Erik’s cock down again. Erik hissed and tightened the hold on his hair, making him moan. Erik let go of the sheets and raised his other hand to run his thumb over the corner of Charles’s mouth, where it was stretched around his cock. When he tightened his hold in Charles’s hair, Charles moaned again and Erik grinned. “How is it I’ve never noticed you like your hair pulled?” he asked.

Charles pulled off and glared playfully. “Are you going to let me suck your cock or ask me questions?”

“Oh I’m definitely going to let you do that,” Erik said, touching his bottom lip again. “But really? Your hair?”

“Yes, I like it, so shut it, you.” He laid his head on Erik’s thigh, pouting dramatically. “Now can I get back to it?” He smirked, biting his bottom lip as he stroked Erik slowly. “I want to make you come,” he purred, sliding his free hand up to trace Erik’s abs. “Every time you breathe,” he sighed reverently. He turned and sucked Erik down again, and this time Erik didn’t stop him, hand tugging teasingly at his hair just how he liked it.

Erik tugged so hard when he came that Charles gasped and whimpered when the pain in his scalp was like pleasure hardwired to his own cock. Erik pulled Charles up the bed and held him with one arm around his body as he kissed him thoroughly while his hand worked between Charles’s legs. One thing Charles had to be thankful towards pregnancy for was the fact it was much easier for him to get off. When he came, whining against Erik’s mouth, Erik simply pulled him into his arms and soothed him through his afterglow, touching him gently all over, fingers skating down his side and back.

“I will be so glad to have this baby out of me so you can properly fuck me, but I do enjoy how easy it makes getting off,” Charles muttered, voice muffled by Erik’s shoulder.

Erik frowned. “What do you mean?”

Charles kissed his shoulder before turning to lay his head against Erik’s arm to smile up at him sadly. “Paralysis makes it much harder to reach orgasm. I’m so damn horny all the time now because pregnancy has me full of hormones and ready to go at the drop of a hat. And sex was never a problem when I was taking the serum, because it repaired the damage to my spine.” He tapped his temple. “But now I’ve come to terms with wanting my powers over my legs. I can get around in the chair just fine. I’m better like this. I’ll just miss having all the crazy amounts of sex,” he joked.

Erik kissed his forehead. “You said you can still-“

“I can. It’s just that it is harder to- well to get hard. And it’s much more work to actually reach orgasm.” He smiled up at Erik. “No worries though. I’m sure sex will still be quite enjoyable even if I can’t come as often as you do.”

Erik gave him a teasing eye roll. “You say ‘sex is still fun’, I see it more as a challenge,” he said, grinning at him. “I have no problem spending _hours_ giving you every pleasure I possibly can.”

Charles grinned back, pushing Erik’s bangs from his eyes. “I’ll look forward to that. Although, it may be a while before we have that sort of time, really.” He grabbed Erik’s hand and guided it to his belly, making Erik laugh happily.

“Yes, well, I’m pretty sure being parents will make it worth the lack of sex,” Erik said, looking down at Charles’s belly delightedly. “Not long now.”

“I know, Love, I’m both desperate to not be so damn miserable and desperate to meet our child,” Charles said excitedly. He tipped his head up and kissed Erik sweetly. “Our baby will be here soon, Erik.”

Erik closed his eyes. “I will never regret choosing you and our baby over all else.”

Charles chuckled. “Oh Erik. One day you will. Not seriously, but trust me. When things get difficult, you will sit and wonder why you did it.” He stroked his hair gently. “We all think things we later feel guilty for. I remember many times growing up I questioned why I had burdened myself by making my mother and stepfather believe Raven was a child they adopted. She would annoy me and I’d wish for a moment that I’d just sent her on her way when I found her. I never really meant it. But I still thought it.”

“I’ve regretted loving you before,” Erik confessed. “Never meant it. But I did. Before this. Before the baby. Almost every time I lost someone all those years ago, I’d blame you for bringing me into the whole mess when all I wanted was simple revenge.” He shook his head. “I never stopped loving you, Charles. Not ever. I have loved you every single day of my life for the past eleven years.”

Charles smiled sadly. “You will never have to stop now. We’re together and we’re going to be parents and we shall never have to be parted.”

“I like that,” Erik whispered, nudging his forehead against Charles’s. _You and I will always find reasons to argue but I will always love you._

Charles smiled. _I know, Darling._

~

When it came to the baby’s birth, the only plan Hank could suggest was that Charles commandeer the minds of an obstetric surgeon who would bring all the things needed to the house with them. They decided to not risk the wait because if Charles went into labor, things could end very badly very fast. 

Because of his fears that something could go wrong and things would be terrible if Erik lost it because of his fear or – God forbid – grief, Charles had Hank and the others agree to not tell him when he had the doctor and a nurse come in the night to birth the baby. 

The result was that, just after the doctor and nurse had left, once Charles was awake and recovering from the surgery, Erik woke up alone in bed to Charles’s voice in his head.

 _Come and meet your daughter, My Friend_.

When Erik got downstairs, not even bothering to dress or anything before running the whole way, he skidded to a stop when he came into the infirmary doorway and saw Charles lying on the cot, holding a small bundle in his arms. “Charles,” he choked out, voice strangled and weak.

Charles looked up and the smile he gave Erik was possibly more beautiful than he had ever seen before. “Erik,” he breathed in relief. He looked down at the baby in his arms. “Come say ‘hello’,” he encouraged and Erik was across the room in two strides. He was weak at the knees and only barely managed to sit on the edge of the cot rather than fall to the floor. He looked at the tiny baby in Charles’s arms and let out a sharp breath.

“Our baby’s a girl?” he asked, and Charles nodded, looking up at him with a smile full of love and radiance.

“What shall we name our daughter?” he asked, angling the baby Erik’s way. He smiled down at the tiny little girl in his arms. “I’m thinking Ada.”

Erik laughed breathlessly as he reached out touch her tiny face, his thumb taking up as much space on her cheek as her nose did on her face. “Ada Xavier? Nearly rhymes, doesn’t it?”

“Oh no, Ada Lehnsherr,” Charles said dismissively. “What was your mother’s middle name?” Erik stared at him and Charles glanced up, frowning. “What? Did she not have one? I had an aunt like that-“

“Marie,” he said, then touched Charles’s chin, making him look up at him. “What do you mean Lehnsherr?” he asked carefully.

Charles gave him a lopsided grin. “Erik, your strong sense of family is more than enough for me to want to give my daughter her father’s last name. She is your daughter. I don’t want you to ever feel like we are not your family.”

Erik swallowed, smiling slowly. “Hyphenate it. We aren’t married. That’s not even a possibility. She can’t just have my last name if we’re unmarried. It’s just not right.”

Charles grinned. “Suit yourself,” he said, then stroked a finger over the baby’s hair. “Ada Marie Lehnsherr-Xavier, then?” he asked Erik.

Erik let out a wet laugh. “She’s perfect. Oh Charles.” He choked on a sound that sounded suspiciously like a sob and turned to kiss Charles tenderly before leaning his head against Charles’s to look down at the baby. “I love you both so much. I can’t- there are no words-“ He let out a shuddering breath and laughed. Charles watched tears fall from his beautiful grey eyes and Erik touched Ada gently. “I have a daughter.”

Charles carefully shifted her. “Would you like to hold her?” he asked, and Erik oh-so-carefully took Ada into his arms. He pulled her into his chest and cradled her safely in his arms, beaming as he stroked a finger over her soft, ginger-colored hair. 

“Ich liebe dich, Ada. Papa liebt dich so sehr.” He leaned into Charles some as he counted Ada’s tiny toes and fingers with the strongest waves of happiness coming off of him Charles had ever felt before. Erik had never, in all the time Charles knew him, exuded such happiness. It was absolutely beautiful. Erik reverently touched her cheek. “Du bist perfekt, Ada. Ich würde die Welt niederbrennen, bevor ich zulasse dass dir etwas passiert.”

Charles chuckled as he understood enough of Erik’s words after the lessons he’d had from Erik so far. “The world does not have to burn to keep her safe, Erik,” he comforted and Erik shook his head.

“I would not care if it did, so long as my daughter is in my arms where she is safe.”

Charles watched Erik’s eyes never leave Ada’s face and he hummed. “There is definitely no denying it.” He looked between Erik and Ada. “She is definitely your daughter. Look at her beautiful hair. Ginger like her Papa,” he said, smiling up at Erik when Ada whined, forehead bunching up. “She even has the same frown mark between her eyebrows as you. How adorable.”

Ada started crying and Erik carefully pulled her close to his chest again, shushing her soft. “Just as grumpy as Daddy gets, too,” Erik said with a wink Charles’s way.

Charles just laughed, shaking his head fondly. “There are so many ways I saw my future with you working out when I first fell in love with you, Erik. But I must say, the reality is so much better. I never could’ve predicted Ada.”

“Neither could I,” Erik said, giving Charles a look so overwhelmingly full of love it made Charles’s throat tightened. “Thank you, Charles. Thank you for loving me and giving me a chance to be the Papa she deserves.”

Charles shook his head. “It’s nothing, Erik-“

“It’s everything,” he said softly, eyes full of meaning.

Charles nodded, smiling as he reached out to touch Ada’s hand. “I know, My Friend. I know.”

As he leaned into Erik’s side and they together watched their daughter’s first few hours, Charles could only think about the choices he had made to get him to that point. There were so many things that he’d done wrong. So many mistakes he’d made.

But as he looked from Erik to Ada and back, none of that mattered one, single bit.


End file.
